Tennessee WR Dont'e Thornton out against Mississippi State with injury
Tennessee receiver Dont’e Thornton has been ruled out for the remainder of Saturday night’s game against Mississippi State with what the ESPN broadcast described as an upper-body injury.
The injury bug bit the Vols hard Saturday night.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava also left the game at halftime with an upper-body injury after getting hit late in the first half. Dylan Sampson was questionable to return with a left leg injury, according to ESPN, but was back in the game for the second drive of the second half.
Iamaleava threw a 73-yard touchdown to Thornton in the second quarter. He caught three passes for 104 yards before leaving the game with the injury.
Thornton’s long touchdown gave Tennessee a 14-0 lead with 13:35 left in the second quarter. Iamaleava threw a 34-yard touchdown to Squirrel White caught on Tennessee’s opening drive of the game, giving the Vols a 7-0 lead on fourth-and-3. It was the first points on an opening drive for the Vols since the 71-0 win over Kent State on September 14.
ESPN reported Iamaleava’s injury was suffered when he ran left for seven yards on second-and-11 at the Mississippi State 13-yard line, just before a 24-yard Max Gilbert field goal. Iamaleava took another shot on the final drive of the first half, after rolling right and getting hit passing.
Gilbert kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, putting Tennessee up 20-7 at halftime.
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Sampson had 19 carries for 76 yards in the first half, appearing to injure his lower left leg late in the second quarter. Sampson left the field under his own power, went to the injury tent on the Tennessee sideline, then went to the locker room with trainers in the final minute of the first half.
Thornton entered Saturday night’s game as Tennessee’s leader in receiving yards this season, with 401 yards and three touchdowns on 17 catches. His previous season long was 66 yards.
Thornton’s 104 yards against Mississippi State was one yard short of a season high. He had 105 yards and two touchdowns on three catches against Chattanooga in the 69-3 season-opening win on August 31 at Neyland Stadium.
He had 64 yards against Kent State, 73 yards and a touchdown at Oklahoma and 70 more against Alabama three weeks ago, including a crucial 55-yard gain on a third down in the second half. He caught a season-high five passes for 36 yards last week against Kentucky.
