KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Quincy Carter has become an unforgettable quarterback at Georgia.

He's made a lasting impression on both his teammates and the Bulldogs' faithful. He's making a similar mark on the football record book.

Given the quarterback's stature, offensive guard Steve Herndon is prudent in pointing out a Carter fact that's easy to forget.

"He's a sophomore," Herndon said. "He's still in the learning process."

Carter learned a hard lesson last season against Tennessee. An insufficient running game and an injury-impaired offensive line left him a lonely figure to face the Vols' ravenous defense. The result was a 22-3 loss, Georgia's eighth in a row in this confounding series.

A refresher course is scheduled for Saturday night with the venue changing to Neyland Stadium. In discussing his quarterback and these circumstances, flanker Michael Greer gave 107,000 boisterous fans their due respect.

"He hasn't been in an environment like this," Greer said. "I played up there my freshman year. Until you get in that environment, you don't know how it is."

Without hesitation, Greer then gave Carter his full faith and confidence. "I think he'll do fine," Greer said. "He's a competitor. That's the main thing."

That's the main reason why Carter rewrote eight of former Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier's freshman records last season, throwing for 2,484 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 60.7 percent of his passes.

The quality is the main inspiration behind his galvanizing presence in the huddle and the 6-foot-3, 223-pounder racing downfield this season and trying to throw a block for a Bulldogs' ball carrier.

"He takes hits I plead him not to take," said offensive tackle Jonas Jennings, mindful of Carter's value to a team without an experienced backup quarterback.

Carter doesn't have the luxury of considering that fact. If he did, he probably would dismiss it as self-indulgence.

"If I average 150 passing yards per game, so be it," said Carter, who has thrown for 900 yards, six touchdowns and a 56.2 completion percentage in four games. "The team comes before everything. I just want to win."

Winning these sort of games has been problematic for Carter. Coach Jim Donnan pointed out that last season Carter was 0-for-3 against Georgia's big three: Georgia Tech, Florida and UT. Donnan wasn't being overly critical. Rather, he was being candid about the inordinate amount of responsibility the quarterback assumes for these outcomes.

"I think he understands that," Donnan said. "It's like (Tennessee quarterback) Tee Martin."

For this game, Carter has a more productive running game at his disposal. Jasper Sanks has topped 100 yards in the last three games, including a career-best 156 against LSU last week.

Carter is content to let Sanks pile up the yards. The only Carter statistic drawing his undivided attention is a streak of 129 passes without an interception.

"If I make mistakes," Carter said, "the team gets down and I know it."

It doesn't help if Carter gets frustrated. That happened at times against LSU. Donnan said the Tigers' pressure and disguised coverages caused Carter to rush some throws. But he did not make any big mistakes. There's a big difference between rushed throws and turnovers.

Lately, Carter has been affected by a big difference in Terrence Edwards. The freshman flanker, who is the brother of former Georgia star running back Robert Edwards, was the Bulldogs' leading receiver in the first two games. He debuted with 10 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Utah State. Since then, he dropped a total of seven passes in two games and had but one catch for three yards against LSU.

Carter praises Edwards' talent and acknowledges the need to get him the football. At the same time, Carter empathizes with Edwards' struggles.

"You have to feel for Terrence," Carter said. "We're asking him to be (departed two-way star) Champ Bailey."

It could be tougher for Edwards. They could be asking him to be Quincy Carter.

(Dan Fleser writes for The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee.)