Tennessee football has been peppered with positive injury news on Friday just when it needed it the most as the Volunteers get ready for arguably the biggest game of their season against Georgia.
After it was announced that starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava will start on Saturday, the news broke that wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. will also be available after suffering an injury during Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State last Saturday, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
“Tennessee WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. will be available for the Georgia game,” Thamel reported on X, formerly Twitter. “He’d been listed as questionable this week after getting injured against Mississippi State last weekend.”
Thornton Jr. gives Josh Heupel and Tennessee a big body on the outside, as he’s listed at 6-foot-5, 214 pounds. He has been a big play threat for Tennessee this season with 505 yards on just 20 catches with four touchdowns.
Thornton Jr.’s presence in the lineup will be a huge addition for a Tennessee passing game that will need to create some explosive plays against a Georgia defense that has played extremely well at times this season. If they can’t make some big plays happen in the passing game, the burden on Dylan Sampson and the running game might be too heavy to carry.
Nico Iamaleava gives Tennessee a chance against Georgia
Nico Iamaleava has been inconsistent and frustrating at times in his first season as the starting quarterback at Tennessee, but having him available for Saturday’s game against Georgia is a massive boost for Josh Heupel’s offense. Having a talent like Iamaleava in the lineup gives off at least the threat that Tennessee can push the ball down the field.
Without Iamaleava, Tennessee’s passing game would be severely limited and Georgia would be able to stack the box against Dylan Sampson and the Tennessee running game, making it very hard for them to move the football.
This game will likely be a defensive battle that is decided by field position and a few big plays on each side of the ball. Having Iamaleava and Thornton Jr. both in the lineup gives Tennessee a great chance to create some of those plays to push them over the top and pull off the upset on the road.
Tennessee is almost in a must-win position in this game due to their resume and the jumbled nature of the SEC. A loss on Saturday would leave Tennessee with two losses and with just one quality win, a home game against Alabama. Most of the other SEC teams with two losses have multiple top 25 wins, which could leave the Volunteers on the outside looking in when the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is revealed.
