Dont'e Thornton dashed inside the defensive back and that was enough.

The Tennessee football wide receiver got the edge he needed and quarterback Nico Iamaleava saw it. The Vols QB waited until Thornton was out of his break, then delivered a dart Saturday.

Thornton did the rest, sprinting away from the Chattanooga defense. He finally slowed down midway through the end zone and strutted to the back of the south end zone at Neyland Stadium.

"In my first game back, I felt like this was the game I expected to have,” Thornton said “It felt really good.”

The 6-foot-5 wide receiver was more than really good. He had three catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, setting career bests in yards and touchdowns. He was a force on the edge of the Tennessee offense during the No. 15 Vols’ season-opening 69-3 win against Chattanooga.

How Dont'e Thornton dominated for Tennessee vs Chattanooga

Thornton scored on the third drive of his first game back since he suffered a season-ending leg injury at Missouri in November. He hauled in a 59-yard pass down the sideline later in the first quarter. He added another touchdown in the second quarter.

It was easily his best game at Tennessee. It was exactly the type of performance the Vols believed Thornton was capable of when they craved him as a transfer from Oregon before the 2023 season.

“You can just see how much more comfortable Dont’e got with this offense,” Iamaleava said. “Just his first year going into last year, he was still figuring things out. I felt like he was dialed in this whole fall camp, spring camp. It is great work that he put in. He went out and showed it.”

Comfort is the starting place for Thornton. The tall receiver played inside early in the 2023 season because the Vols were thin at slot receiver, coach Josh Heupel said Saturday. Thornton moved outside in the middle of the season and his skill set shone for a three-game run in late October into November. Then he got hurt.

Thornton came back focused on being an outside receiver. It has worked well, which was the case against Chattanooga. He was a centerpiece and a primary target for Iamaleava.

He had more touchdowns in the opener than he did all last season when he had one touchdown on 13 catches for 224 yards.

“He’s just continued to be extremely comfortable in what we’re doing offensively and he’s played really consistent,” Heupel said.

ADAMS: Nico Iamaleava already looks like 'Heismanaleava' for Tennessee football in opener | Adams

Tennessee football flashes depth at wide receiver vs Chattanooga

Chris Brazzell II caught the first pass Saturday then Bru McCoy got involved heavily. Like Thornton, McCoy is coming off an injury.

“Just a ton of relentless hard work. grinding, working hard every single day,” McCoy said of Thornton. “Finding ways just to improve himself. It has been awesome to see. It has driven me and pushed me to be better.”

Both proved that what Heupel has stated about this Tennessee team is true and will be shown: There is depth. Iamaleava completed passes to four wide receivers and two tight ends in the first quarter. A fifth receiver caught a pass in the second as Heupel made good on his promise to rotate at the position where the Vols feel like they have more players than they had in years past.

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Thornton is among those and his explosive debut harkened back to the way Cedric Tillman opened in 2021 and Jalin Hyatt started in 2022.

Thornton explained a new attitude to football afterward — well, a rediscovered one. He just wants to have fun playing again. He certainly did Saturday.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Dont'e Thornton another explosive option for Vols