Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson took the time recently to pull Sam Brown aside for some one-on-one conversations.

Dawson and Brown have history going back to Brown’s first season at Houston. It’s a big part of the reason Brown transferred to Miami.

But the results hadn’t been there for Brown through the first half of his first season with the Hurricanes.

Dawson’s message to Brown: Just let the game come to you.

“I think that one thing that people don’t really think about at times is when you go to a new place, it takes a little time sometimes,” Dawson said, “especially when he wasn’t necessarily involved in the stuff we were doing in the summer. And so it takes a little more time than you think to feel comfortable and to end up playing instinctively like you can.”

The game finally came to Brown on Saturday when he caught three passes for a season-high 125 yards and a touchdown in the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes’ 52-45 win over the Louisville Cardinals.

His touchdown catch was a 49-yard catch-and-run in the opening minute of the second quarter when he was wide open in the middle of the field after stuttering on the start of his route to catch the Louisville defense off guard. He then had a 59-yard catch that set up Miami’s go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter.

“What I saw Saturday,” Dawson said, “with him breaking tackles and being hard to tackle and being big and playing with a high level of confidence is what Sam can do.”

Dawson knew that. Brown knew it, too.

But Brown, a fifth-year junior, also knew he needed to show it on the field.

Saturday marked that first step.

“You can’t really dwell on the time that has passed when it’s not going your way,” said Brown, who on Monday was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s receiver of the week. “It’s just about pushing for the next chance.”

Brown’s breakout performance also adds another layer to Miami’s already high-octane offense.

Dawson earlier this season said he would “rather have six guys catch 50” passes than have one player catch 100 and the team rely on that player to be the sole difference maker.

The Hurricanes might not have six, but they are dynamic and spreading the ball around.

The Hurricanes (7-0, 3-0 ACC) enter this week, in which they play rival Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC) at 7 p.m. Saturday, as one of three teams with at least four players to have at least 333 receiving yards, along with Colorado and TCU. All four receivers have at least one 100-yard receiving game. Brown and Restrepo both hit the mark on Saturday against Louisville, marking the first time Miami had multiple 100-yard receivers in the same game since Oct. 5, 2019, when Brevin Jordan and Jeff Thomas each got over 100 receiving yards in a 42-35 loss to Virginia Tech.

Xavier Restrepo leads the way with 39 catches, 686 yards and six touchdowns.

Isaiah Horton follows with 34 carches, 412 yards and four touchdowns.

Then it’s Brown with 24 catches, 371 yards and two touchdowns.

Finally, Jacolby George has 24 catches, 333 yards and four touchdowns.

“It was a three-headed monster,” Brown said, “but we created something different: A four-headed monster.”

To Dawson, the diversity of the Hurricanes’ receivers and the ability of quarterback Cam Ward to spread the ball around only aids in the offense’s production.

“It helps in two ways,” Dawson said. “One is you can keep people fresh through the course of the game so at the end of the game, guys are running the top speed, playing 100 percent. And ultimately, the defense can’t focus on one guy. So I just like distribution. I like the ball being distributed around.”

Added Ward, who threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns against Louisville en route to his fifth ACC Quarterback of the Week honor: “It helps make my job and everybody’s job easier. ... We know somebody’s gonna break [open]. We’ve got a good receiving corps.”

That means some games are going to be tougher for a player to produce individually. The Hurricanes’ receivers are fine with that. They know their time will come.

And when they’re not catching passes, they’re trying to produce in other ways. That’s how Brown, who had just 21 catches and 256 yards in his first six games, approached the first half of his season.

“Every game is not gonna be my game,” Brown said, “but I can impact the game in some way or form by blocking or setting up plays. Just being available for the quarterback when he needs me.”

It was finally his game on Saturday.

“He’s a great teammate,” Restrepo said. “Obviously, things are not always going to be butterflies and rainbows. To see the fight in that guy, and see that guy finally get what he deserves is just amazing. I’m super happy for Sam. Me and him have a really, really good relationship. I love that dude. He brings it every single week and really experienced, played a lot of football.”

Injury updates

Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal on Monday said defensive back Damari Brown, who has not played since the season-opener against Florida, should return “toward the back end” of the regular season.

“He’s chomping at the bit to get back out there,” Cristobal said. “It’s awesome to see the way he attacks his rehab.”

Defensive lineman Malik Bryant, who did not travel to Louisville with the team due to an illness, is expected to be back for Saturday’s game against Florida State.