The Georgia football program picked up a 41-31 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, and despite the victory, the performance of the defense and secondary specifically was disappointing, and safety Malaki Starks spoke on what his message for the rest of the secondary will be on Monday as the Bulldogs begin preparation for a huge matchup against Texas.

“I think things just gotta change from here on out,” Malaki Starks said, via Dawgs Central on X. “You know, we gotta have better habits, we gotta practice better. We gotta bring energy to the game. I think when you play DB, you look at it and they usually have the most energy, and we gotta have that type of energy when we come out and play, and just be able to perform better, and at the end of the day just communicate and be able to execute our job.”

Starks is one of the leaders of the Georgia defense, and he is expected to be one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is hoping to get Georgia's secondary back on track, and that will have to happen fast with the Texas football matchup approaching.

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Georgia football looking for statement win vs Texas

After Georgia lost a heartbreaker to Alabama a few weeks ago, this Texas matchup became arguably the biggest game remaining on the schedule for the Bulldogs. Georgia has been one of the best programs in the country over the last few years, and a win over Texas would prove that the Bulldogs are still one of the best teams in the country and could challenge for another national championship.

Texas looks like arguably the most dominant team so far this season, and the Longhorns have talent all over. Even with Isaiah Bond picking up an injury, Texas has plenty of weapons on offense, so Starks and the rest of the secondary will have to be ready for a tough matchup.

There are two other big games remaining on Georgia's schedule the rest of the way. One is on the road against Ole Miss, who is ranked No. 9 at the moment. The other is at home against Tennessee the week after that. The SEC is very competitive, and it will take some big wins for Georgia to make it into the SEC Championship game. The good news is that performing well with this schedule would ensure that the Bulldogs make it to the playoffs.