Kirby Smart wanted to make one thing clear.

When he’s talking about his offense and the need to start “cutting it loose,” he doesn't mean quarterback Carson Beck.

“I don't reference Carson in that. Carson's – I mean, you start for a year in the SEC and play in the games he's played in. .... I never directly said him and don't think that he's played that way,” Smart said during Monday’s press conference to preview Saturday’s game with Mississippi State (4:15, SEC Network). “I think Carson is in a good head space. He's continued to get better. It has nothing to do with him. Probably some other positions that we have younger players at. Sometimes they play with a lot of anxiety.”

The results are showing.

Georgia’s penchant for slow starts has been well-documented, but the Bulldogs’ offensive issues go deeper than that.

The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game ninth in the SEC in scoring offense (32 points per game) and 10th in total offense (421.4 yards) through five games into the season.

“I wouldn't say we've hit our full stride. I mean, hopefully, you know, the goal is to hit. You want to hit your stride like midway through the year,” offensive guard Dylan Fairchild said.

Smart knows what he wants to see.

“Play with no anxiety. Play with no fear of what might happen. Execute at a high level. You know, not be – don't be entrapped by the weather. Play above all that. Cut it loose,” he said. “You earn the right to do that by what you do during the week. I thought we earned the right to do that in the game. And at times we did. At times we didn't.”

Georgia was able to improve against Auburn on converting on third downs. For the first time this year, the Bulldogs converted over 50 percent (7 of 13). Fairchild feels that’s a sign.

“Yeah, I mean, I think it's a combination of a few things,” he said. “I mean, obviously, we prepared really hard, we prepared really well for third down. And kind of like the last question, you kind of want to hit your stride right now. You know, you kind of want to get the ball rolling fast around this time of year, and I think, you know, we're starting to do so.”

As expected, Georgia and Texas will kick off at 7:30 ET when the Bulldogs travel to Austin for next week’s game against the Longhorns.

The game will be televised on ABC.

Smart did not offer many specifics when asked about three of Georgia’s injured players – Christen Miller, Jared Wilson and Smael Mondon.

“I hope they will be able to. We'll find out today,” Smart said.

A specific question about Mondon’s exact injury was met with a similar refrain.

“We hope to get him back soon,” Smart said.

…Smart on his running back room: “I like the depth in the room. I like what Cash (Jones) brings. I like what Nate (Frazier) brings. I like what Branson (Robinson) brings and what Trevor (Etienne) brings. We have four guys that I really feel good about,” Smart said. “The young kid, Chauncey (Bowens), is doing some really good things. I mean, he's improved immensely since his arrival here and he's got great toughness, great character, and he's going to be a really good player. Dwight Phillips has gotten better over on the scout team. A kid that had never played in an environment like this one, he's getting better. So, I like that group as a whole and think it's a really good group.”

…Smart admitted he’d rather have his kicker boot the football out of the end zone. “I always prefer to kick it out of the back of the end zone,” Smart said. “Our kicker's done a good job of getting great hang time, and we've got to continue to improve on that. But he's doing the best job he can.”

Thus far, sophomore field goal kicker Peyton Woodring has handled 31 of Georgia’s kickoffs, with 15 going for touchbacks. Duke transfer Charlie Ham has kicked off twice with one touchback.

…Smart liked what he saw from his secondary against Auburn: “I thought we mixed it up well, played some back-shoulder balls, got some balls down, had some 50-50 balls we got PIs on. We didn't come out of breaks in some spots very well, but we changed up coverages. We pitched to them. We were able to pressure them with our front,” Smart said. “If you're going to make people one-dimensional, then they're going to throw it on you, and we didn't exactly make them one-dimensional from running it, so they had either-or downs a lot of times, and we got in some second and longs and lost some of them. But I was pleased with the secondary because I think that Auburn's a good team. I think Payton Thorne is a good quarterback. I think they have good skill players.”

…Drew Bobo received his flowers after making his first career start in place of the injured Jared Wilson: “I'm so proud of Drew. He did such a good job stepping up. I told him this offseason, I was like, ‘Drew, you know there's going to be a day. I'm telling you.’ I just knew it. I don't know how I knew it in my heart, but I just knew that he was going to have to step up, and he did,” Dylan Fairchild said. “He did a great job, and all of us are so proud of him. I mean, me and Jared (Wilson) were talking about it yesterday. I’m just so proud of him for stepping up and doing a great job.”