ATHENS - Kirby Smart said the last thing Georgia football fans wanted to hear after the Bulldog's tough 27-24 loss to Auburn.

"I need more players to play winning football."

Georgia football fans haven't heard a phrase like that in a long, long time. The Georgia Bulldogs have been a powerhouse for ten years now. They sign, develop, and produce winning football players on a yearly basis. And coming into Saturday the Bulldogs were ranked as the No.1 team in the country.

So hearing coach Smart say he needs more players to play "winning football" certainly raised some eyebrows. It can't be due to a lack of talent as the Bulldogs have one of the more talented rosters in the country. The staff didn't just forget how to coach and their develop their players, either.

This is a banged up football team, but we're seeing a lack of depth as well. The backups have not played to the Bulldog standard so far this year, so when a starter goes down, the drop-off can be significant, especially in the trenches.

"I need to be able to play more than five linemen," Smart told reporters this week. "I need to be able to play more people up front that we can count on and be dependable. We played Anthony London tonight on third down, and I thought he was dependable. I've got to go watch the tape and see how he played, but we're trying to play more guys because I don't know that we can make it through this grind without it. So we just need more guys that can play winning football.”

Injuries have played a part here, but on the edge defensively, the Bulldogs just have not been good enough. As for Lonon, the 6-foot-2 275-pound freshman from Athens saw the field consistently against Auburn, making a key sack during Georgia's tight loss to the Tigers.

Playing true freshmen isn't necesarrily the recipe for success, but it's happened throughout the season along the defensive line. Some of it's out of necessity, some of it's due to injuries, and some of it has to do with others not stepping up to the plate.

Second-year EDGE defenders like Isaiah Gibson and Darren Ikkanogbon have not made an impact this season. Chase Linton continues to battle back from an injury in that room as well. Along the defensive line, third-year lineman Nasir Johnson has yet to make a major impact. Another third-year defensive lineman Justin Greene has been unable to see the field consistently, either. Junior Joseph Jonah-Ajonye played a major role in Georgia's win over Alabama but did not record a tackle against Auburn.

Georgia's defense gave up over 190 rushing yards during their loss to Auburn and surrendered over 160 yards on the ground during their win over Alabama. They have not been elite against the run lately, and if they want to get back to that standard, Kirby Smart needs more guys to emerge. More guys who can play winning football. If he can find it, look for the Dawgs to make a big second-half run.