Kirby Smart isn't thrilled with his team's execution inside the 20s.

Offensively the Bulldogs have had a handful of drives bog down, resulting in too many field goal attempts for Smart's liking. The defense, meanwhile, gave up a pair of red-zone touchdowns to South Carolina that contributed to Georgia's 14-3 halftime deficit.

As a defensive coach, Smart takes particular issue with allowing touchdowns in the confined area of the field.

"It's red-zone defense where we've been remarkable and elite. I think we were one in the country last year, and we had two red-zone opportunities that we did not capitalize on defensively, which was really the difference in the first half," Smart said. "We let somebody run the ball in on us on defense, which is a no-no at Georgia."

To Smart's point, Georgia's defense has allowed three touchdowns in four red-zone possessions this season.

The red zone is all about execution in the run game, Smart said. The offense has to run the ball and the defense has to stop the run.

Smart said he liked the offense's efficiency in stacking plays together and driving into the red zone. But once there, bad plays on first down are drive-killers.

"That gets you in trouble too because you usually have four downs down there to go for it, but you can't do that if you're fourth-and-10," Smart said. "If you're fourth-and-1 or 2 or 3, you can. We've got to have positive plays both ways to get better. We certainly have to improve in that area.”

So, how do the issues get fixed?

Offensively it seems fairly straightforward. The Bulldogs have to avoid negative plays and keep from getting behind the chains. An effective running game would go a long way in helping turn field goal attempts into touchdowns.

Defensively, the Bulldogs said they are focused on each doing their own job every play.

"I think the biggest part is just communication, the whole defense, everybody being on the same page," safety Malaki Starks said. "We’re moving as one unit instead of a bunch of individuals. I think if we can all get on the same page and just communicate a lot better, that would be a big part of it."

Red-zone issues dug the Bulldogs an early hole against South Carolina. Getting those problems solved will be vital as Georgia stares down UAB and the SEC gauntlet beyond.