Communities across Tennessee could experience heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and flash flooding through Friday morning as the remnants of Hurricane Helene move through the area.

After hitting the Florida coast, the remnants of the Category 4 storm are moving through Georgia as it continues to weaken. The storm will move into East Tennessee before curving northwest across Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

“The main concerns with this system for us will be heavy rain/flooding and very strong winds,” the weather service said.

LIVE UPDATES: Hurricane Helene brings rain, flooding and gusty winds to Knoxville

The weather service’s Friday morning report states that Hurricane Helene’s remnants will mainly bring tropical downpours this morning. Flash flooding will be possible with an additional 2 to 4 inches expected in some places.

A flood watch is in effect for East and Middle Tennessee through Saturday morning.

Hurricane tracker: See Helene’s projected path

East Tennessee, Knoxville weather radar

Weather warnings across Tennessee

Tennessee power outages

Hurricane Helene damage reports

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – In Tennessee’s 43rd game under Head Coach Josh Heupel, the Tennessee offense went over 300 yards of total offense for the 41st time under the Oklahoma legend, as the Vols downed the Sooners 25-15.

Veteran offensive lineman Andrej Karic said the offensive line’s success comes from the team’s mental makeup as much as its physical ability.

“Something to describe us would be smart,” Karic said. “I think a lot of us in the room have played a lot of games, and just kind of seeing how things play out in the midst of a game and being able to make adjustments on the sideline.”

Saturday’s win wasn’t Karic’s first over Oklahoma. The senior began his career at the University of Texas, defeating the Sooners 49-0 in 2022.

“It was a little different kind of going to Oklahoma at their stadium and getting it done,” Karic said of the win, which he experienced previously inside Dallas’ Cotton Bowl Stadium. “It’s still the same feeling, same satisfaction.”

Karic and the Tennessee offensive line attributed its success to facing the Tennessee defensive line in practice daily.

Senior defensive lineman Elijah Simmons said the unit has been building toward the success its currently enjoying, allowing just 1.57 yards per rush, good for second-best in the nation.

”Yeah, honestly, it started in spring ball,” Simmons said. “We just knew from there that as we continue to go on and progress that it’s going to turn over to the field.”

Tennessee will get a week off before returning to action at Arkansas on Oct. 5, it’s an open date Simmons wished were filled with an opponent.

”I rather play every week,” Simmons said.

Can you blame him?

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The No. 5 Vols are off this week before heading to Fayetteville for another SEC night game on the road at Arkansas.

The Vols have opened as an 11-point favorite as of Thursday afternoon, according to DraftKings. The Razorbacks will be playing against Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas this week before their matchup with Tennessee. The kickoff time for the Vols and Razorbacks will be either 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ABC.

The Razorbacks are 4.5-point underdogs to the Aggies this weekend. They lead the all-time series with Texas A&M 42-35-3. But since the Aggies have joined the SEC, things have flipped. The Razorbacks have lost 11 of the 12 games that the two have played as SEC rivals.

Arkansas has had an inconsistent season so far in 2024. The Razorbacks are 3-1 and easily could be 4-0 if not for collapsing against Oklahoma State after having an early lead. They have an explosive offense led by quarterback Taylen Green. But he is prone to making mistakes so far.

Green has 957 passing yards this year but only four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 325 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Containing him will likely be Tennessee’s biggest defensive test of the season so far.

Despite the Vols’ great start to the season, a night game in the SEC will not be easy. Arkansas has proven to be a capable offensive team and one that can win in tough environments. The Razorbacks just won their first SEC game of 2024 at Auburn 24-14.

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