ATHENS, Ga. — Not all of the numbers add up with Georgia quarterback David Greene.

You watch him complete pinpoint passes to tightly covered receivers and imagine a passing percentage of .650.

But Greene has completed just 54.5 percent of his passes this season and is slightly under 60 percent for his career.

As a redshirt freshman in his first road game, he passed for 303 yards against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. That began a streak of three consecutive 300-plus-yard passing games. After that, you might have expected at least another dozen 300-yard games.

Yet he has passed for more than 300 yards only four more times.

Greene doesn't dazzle you with yardage or percentages. He won't threaten any SEC career-passing records.

But he does one thing as well as almost anyone who has ever played his position. He wins.

He is 36-8 as a starting quarterback. UT's Peyton Manning, who was 39-6 in his college career, holds the NCAA record for most wins by a starting quarterback. Obviously, only an injury will prevent Greene from breaking that record.

And only a complete reversal in form will prevent Greene from adding No. 37 Saturday against the Vols. In fact, he is probably the last guy UT wants to see after being riddled by Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell last week.

On the same Saturday that Campbell was having a career day against the Vols, Greene was throwing for a school-record five touchdowns against LSU, whose secondary is vastly superior to UT's. Based on that, Saturday's matchup at Sanford Stadium seems almost unfair.

Certainly, the Vols won't routinely entrust their inexperienced cornerbacks to man-on-man coverage against Georgia wide receivers Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown. And unlike last week against Auburn, don't expect to hear any of that "make the quarterback beat us" talk.

When it comes to beating UT, Greene needs neither help nor encouragement. He just needs the football.

In a best-case defensive scenario for the Vols, they would give their cornerbacks plenty of assistance and contain Georgia's freshman running backs without imposing on their safeties for support — then hope Greene has a bad day.

Although you couldn't prove it by the Vols, Greene has had bad days, even in big games. He completed only 11 of 29 passes against Florida two years ago. Last year, behind an inexperienced and often bunged-up offensive line, he failed to complete as many as 46 percent of his passes against Auburn and LSU.

Greene also wasn't at his best this season in a 20-16 victory against South Carolina.

"That was one of the few games I can remember him really having some open people and just missing them," Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday.

The misses turned to hits against LSU.

"He was putting the ball right where we wanted it," said Brown, who had two touchdown catches against the Tigers.

The Vols have seen that Greene. In three games against them, he has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for an average of 254.3 yards per game.

"A lot of times you can't explain things," Greene said. "I couldn't explain why I was throwing badly against South Carolina. I can't explain why I threw five touchdown passes against LSU.

"For whatever reason, we've got in a good rhythm when we've played them (UT). You've got to. If you want to beat Tennessee, you've got to come out and make plays."

He always does.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.