Georgia's defense is struggling thanks in part to one missing piece - lack of depth

The most frustrating thing this season by far for Georgia football is how inconsistent they are. One week the defense will have a lights out performance while the offense struggles to put points on the board. Then the following week things will flip and UGA will find themseleves in a shootout.

Recently it has been Georgia's offense that has found a lot of success while the defense has been holding them back. This was especially seen in Georgia's win over Mississippi State when UGA gave up 31 points to a one-win team while Carson Beck and the Georgia offense erupted for their best game of the season.

So what gives? Why is the defense struggling so much this season when they have been such a reliable unit in recent years?

Lack of Depth

In year's past when a Gerogia defender went down with an injury there was always someone on the bench who was just as good if not better than the injured player. That is something that has not been the case with this Georgia team this season. Whenever a starter needs a break for even just a couple plays or sits for any amount of time with an injury, their absence is immediately noticeable.

The best example of this is in the Bulldogs' secondary, who lost a lot of talent after last season. Georgia lost eight players from last year's secondary, which includes four to the NFL and four to the transfer portal. That amount of turnover is nearly impossible to overcome regardless of what talent you bring in. And halfway through the season you can tell that the secondary is struggling.

Gerogia is giving up 192 passing yards per game this year which gives them the No. 39 passing defense in the country. That is not terrible by any means, but it is nowhere near the standard we have come to know at Georgia.

And the thing that scares me the most is that the Texas offense is what is up next for the UGA defense. Texas has the No. 7 total offense in the country which includes the 11th ranked passing offense. That is a recipe for disaster for the Georgia secondary.

I'm honestly not sure how Georgia will be able to overcome this. Disguising coverages and calling timely blitzes are always an option, but I'm not convinced even that will stop the Texas offense.

Hopefully Kirby Smart and his staff will be able to come up with some typpe of a game plan, becuase relying on their depth won't work against a team like Texas.