The 2012 football season is still months away, but the Bulldogs are already at less than full capacity.

Georgia head coach Mark Richt announced on Wednesday that defensive back Sanders Commings will be suspended the first two games of the 2012 season.

The suspension comes on the heels of Commings’ recent arrest for domestic/simple battery.

Sanders Commings

The blow is a significant one to the Bulldogs, who are suddenly caught in a potentially precarious situation in the defensive backfield.

Commings, a rising senior, has been a key contributor to the Bulldog defense, playing in all but one game in the past three seasons.

Last season, he started all 14 games and led the team in pass breakups with 12 and tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 55.

The Bulldogs were already thin at defensive back before Commings’ suspension after freshmen cornerbacks Nick Marshall and Chris Sanders were recently dismissed from the team for disciplinary violations.

Georgia also have had three defensive backs transfer since the beginning of last season in Jakar Hamilton, Jordan Love and Derek Owens.

Obviously, the secondary becomes an instant question mark for Georgia heading into the 2012 season.

While this likely won’t be an issue in the season opener against Buffalo, the SEC opener against Missouri is suddenly one of more concern.

Missouri returns highly-productive quarterback James Franklin along with veteran receivers T.J. Moe and Marcus Lucas.

The pass-happy Tigers also welcome the nation’s top wide receiver prospect in Dorial Green-Beckham, a player who has garnered comparisons to A.J. Green and Julio Jones.

There is no doubt that Missouri likes to pass the ball, and it will do so against a depleted Georgia defensive backfield.

The Bulldogs have gotten off to less-than-stellar starts in their SEC openers the past two years, as they have lost to South Carolina in 2010 and 2011.

Georgia needs a win over Missouri to set the tone for a what it hopes is a special season.

And if the Bulldogs want to have that remarkable season next year — with a trip to the SEC Championship, or possibly even more — they simply cannot afford any more losses in the secondary.