The running joke for Georgia football's Aussie punter Brett Thorson before this season was bad blood between him and quarterback Carson Beck. It centered around Thorson getting into the game about as much as a ball boy.

No more.

Not with the way the Bulldogs offense is coming out listless in the first half.

Thorson has punted on more than half of Georgia’s first-half possessions against FBS teams and has already punted 14 times — 3.5 per game — compared to 2.3 per game last season.

“Obviously, I joke about it a fair bit,” Thorson said this spring. “I’m very happy watching the offense roll down and score some points rather than send me trotting out there trying to kick a ball.”

Of 17 first-half drives against FBS opponents, Georgia has one touchdown and three field goals.

“Each game's been different,” coach Kirby Smart said Monday as his fifth-ranked team gets ready to play Auburn Saturday in Athens. “The Clemson game was different than the Kentucky game. The Kentucky game was different than the Alabama game. The Alabama game, first play of the game, we have a great play open up, and then we have a shot play that we think's going to work, and we don't hit it. Then we have an OPI (offensive pass interference) that's rarely called, but it's called, and then you're behind the eight ball.”

Georgia football's first-half offensive woes

Georgia averages 5.3 points in the first half and has been shutout in the first quarter against Clemson, Kentucky and Alabama.

All six of Beck’s touchdown passes in FBS games have come in the second half.

Georgia trailed Alabama 28-0 in the first half Saturday before the Bulldogs made a frantic comeback and went ahead late before losing 41-34.

Beck threw two of his three interceptions in the first half — one of which Smart said wasn’t his fault. Another drive ended with a safety on an intentional grounding on Beck, who was under pressure in the end zone.

Smart on his postgame radio show called it the “worst half of football we played probably since the first year I was here and turned the ball over and didn’t stop anybody on defense.”

The half, he said, was “total domination,” with Alabama scoring touchdowns on its first four drives.

“Not only as an offensive perspective but as a team perspective, we try to take the approach of winning every moment,” starting offensive left tackle Earnest Greene said. “It’s just attacking moment by moment and I guess we’ve just got to win more moments.”

Georgia football's slow starts aren't new

Slow starts were an issue last season for the team as a whole. The Bulldogs trailed early in five of their final six regular season games last season and scored 96 first-quarter points compared to 209 in the second quarter.

Georgia came out throwing under offensive coordinator Mike Bobo against Alabama with passes on its first six plays including some deep shots.

“We had a plan to attack, didn't hit on some of those, you've got to come back the next drive and flip the field,” Smart said. “I'm always looking at it, ‘Did we create field position advantage if we weren't explosive?’ We did in the first drive, but then we didn't for a while, and there was a little bit of lack of communication. So, there's a lot of things that go into that, and I think it's very clear that we've got to execute and communicate better, but I also think we have the players to do it with. I'm very confident in our offense and our offensive players.”

Georgia trailed 10-0 after the first quarter at Auburn last year before tying it by halftime and pulling out a 27-20 win on Brock Bowers' 40-yard touchdown catch with 2:52 to go.

Turnover-prone Auburn (2-3, 0-2 SEC) is outscoring opponents in the first half 90-44.

Greene was looking forward Monday, not back to the slow starts this season.

“We’re just focused on getting in the end zone against Auburn,” Greene said.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Slow starting Georgia football offense wants first half turnaround