Dont’e Thornton needs time to settle in, just like the rest of Tennessee’s offense
For Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, there was nothing surprising about Dont’e Thornton’s quiet debut with the Vols in the 49-13 win over Virginia on Saturday in Nashville. Finding rhythm in Josh Heupel’s fast-paced offense can be tough.
“I think whenever someone’s making their first start,” Halzle said during his press conference on Tuesday, “or first real true game experience in this kind of offense, no matter how many scrimmages, anything you do, it’s just different.”
Sophomore receiver Squirrel White started in the slot ahead of Thornton, catching a team-high six passes for 45 yards on seven targets. Thornton, the Oregon transfer and headliner from the 2023 NCAA Transfer Portal class for the Vols, got 44 snaps in the game, fourth most among Tennessee receivers according to Pro Football Focus, and finished with two catches for 12 yards after being targeted four times.
Halzle said what Tennessee wanted and expected to do was get Thornton “quick touches” to help get him settled in.
“He took the top off of a couple plays,” said Halzle, who raved about Thornton’s speed and athleticism during fall camp. “He could have gotten a couple. We weren’t to his side for whatever reason. Sometimes games just go that way.”
Squirrel White, Ramel Keyton led Tennessee WRs vs. Virginia
It went that way for a lot of Tennessee receivers.
Ramel Keyton had three catches for 66 yards, including 41-yarder, but dropped a deep ball that likely would’ve been a long touchdown. Bru McCoy caught just two passes for 21 yards and freshman Kaleb Webb caught two passes for 11 yards in the fourth quarter, when the second-team offense was in the game.
After the game, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said the receivers were “just a little bit off.”
“There were a couple throws that you would want back,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference. “Ramel’s running right down the middle of the football field and we’re just a little bit off. And that’s where I just felt like early in the ball game, we weren’t completely settled in.”
During his weekly press conference on Monday he said the corrections come down to “subtle details” against what’s being shown from an opposing defense.
“We can be a little bit cleaner,” Heupel said. “All in all, I thought they performed well. There’s some things early in the football game that everybody saw that we weren’t quite in sync. N’t far off either. I anticipated us continuing to grow, show those things.”
Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Austin Peay, Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Halzle didn’t sound concerned on Tuesday. His new-look offense as a whole, just like Thornton, has some settling in to do with the new season underway.
“The first game, you have an older receiving corp, but it’s a lot of guys that are making their first like true starting experience and an entire way through a season,” Halzle said, reference Keyton, White and Thornton replacing the likes of Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. “It’s just settling in and and taking what they’re giving you.
“Just like we said with the quarterback and not feeling like you have to go rush it and go make the big play right now. Like man, get your depths, understand your reads, be in the right spot and then everything else takes care of itself.
“Because the athleticism, all that, it’s all there,” Halzle added. “So they don’t have to try and press to do anything if they’re just playing within the system and how they’re supposed to, their athleticism will take over.”
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