Cornerback Daylen Everette was dissecting the breakdowns on the back end of the Georgia football defense Saturday against Mississippi State and couldn’t pinpoint one thing that needs to be fixed with a monster matchup ahead this weekend.

The Bulldogs gave up three pass plays of 35 or more yards to a freshman quarterback making his second college start in a 41-31 win.

“Really, just some communication, some technique stuff,” Everette said. “Just stuff we’ve got to clean up.”

Yes. Yes, they do.

No. 1 Texas is waiting Saturday in Austin. It has one of the best wide receiver corps in the nation and a third-year starting quarterback, Quinn Ewers, who can deliver the ball to them down field.

The Longhorns are tied for sixth in the nation with 13 pass plays of 30 or more yards.

“Things just got to change,” star safety Malaki Starks said. “We’ve got to have better habits. We’ve got to practice better. We’ve got to bring energy to the game. When you play DB, they usually have the most energy.”

Georgia is giving up 7.1 yards per pass attempt. That’s its most since allowing 7.4 in 2013.

That team went 8-5 and lost in the Gator Bowl to Nebraska. That defense didn’t have a single player drafted the next year and only one starter in the secondary, Damian Swann, was drafted. That came in the fifth round in 2015.

Yards per attempt is what coach Kirby Smart says Georgia mostly uses to determine success for its pass defense.

Georgia’s yards per attempt on defense is up from 5.8 in 2023, 6.5 in 2022 and 5.6 in 2021.

It comes with the Bulldogs’ secondary in transition in both players and coaches from last season

Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith are now playing in the NFL on Sundays.

“I think the Tykee, Kamari, Bullard (losses) has an effect on that,” Smart said of yards per attempt. “You’ve got three players really good, drafted. You’ve got to always have people stockpiled behind it. We probably haven’t played as well at that position and we have younger players.”

Julian Humphrey and Jonel Aguero are first-year starters with Everette in his second season starting, Starks a preseason All-American and projected NFL first-round pick and safety Dan Jackson a senior with six career starts entering the season.

Fran Brown left as defensive backs coach to be head coach at Syracuse and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Will Muschamp stepped back into an analyst’s role. They were replaced by Donte Williams and Travaris Robinson.

Georgia plays a Texas team that ranks 11th in the nation in passing at 306.7 yards per game and still ahead is Ole Miss which is third at 360.1.

Ewers can throw to Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond, Houston transfer Matthew Golden and freshman Ryan Wingo who each have at least 223 receiving yards and have combined for 8 touchdown catches.

Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore have combined for another 5 touchdowns.

“They’ve got really good wideouts to take shots with,” Smart said. “They’ve got great speed on the perimeter, they’ve got great size.”

Bond has an ankle injury, but coach Steve Sarkisian used the word “optimistic,” Monday when talking about his availability.

Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren completed passes of 72, 42 and 35 yards Saturday on a day he threw for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“We talk about it every week that the No. 1 way to eliminate explosive plays is your effort and your technique, obviously,” Jackson said. “Your overall effort and running to the ball.”

Cornerback Daniel Harris was beaten by several steps Saturday on a deep ball down the sideline on the 72-yarder. Nickel back Aguero was beaten also down the sideline for 42. Humphrey, a corner, gave up a 35-yard touchdown with 1:47 to go.

“50-50 balls,” Smart said after the game. “I don't think we won one, maybe one 50-50 ball out there on the perimeter.”

Smart on Monday chalked up the big play against Aguero to Mississippi State making a “great” throw and catch.

Van Buren also connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kelly Akharaiyi who got behind Everette on a play Starks moved up.

“I was trying to disguise it and just kind of help out,” Starks said. “We just got to do a better job in both. My job was to stay in the middle of the field, not just kind of be there. We talked about that a lot during the weekend, running that play and pulling it and keeping it with the cornerback. I just got to slow it down in my head and execute my job.”

Georgia’s three interceptions are all from safeties--Starks, Jackson and KJ Bolden.

Smart said five-star freshman cornerback Ellis Robinson had his best two weeks of practices entering this week.

“Wish we could have got him in the game earlier,” Smart said.

Georgia has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards in six games. That’s as many as it gave up all of last season in 14 games.

“The way we play defense, we don't give up any short, intermediate passes,” Smart said. “We challenge people historically here, so if you're going to hit balls on us, it's usually shots, and if you miss those you're in long yardage all day. If you hit those, then you're explosive.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Why Georgia football's pass defense is a problem ahead of Texas game