FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino couldn’t help but crack a smile when the topic that won’t seem to go away was brought up again late last week.

“It is getting to be a broken record,” Petrino said.

And after sitting down to speak with reporters on Saturday afternoon, Petrino decided to address the topic before anyone got a chance to ask him about it.

“We have to learn how to score points when you drive the ball and don’t get points,” Petrino said in his opening remarks following a 38-7 loss to then-No. 12 Florida in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Hogs (2-3, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) have shown that they can put together long drives, even as they continue to learn the intricacies of Petrino’s complex offense.

But the area from midfield to the red zone has been like the Bermuda Triangle for Arkansas’ offense. As soon as the Razorbacks cross the 50-yard line, they have had a tendency to look lost.

For whatever reason, Arkansas’ players say they sometimes lose their focus when they get near the end zone, resulting in careless penalties and poor execution. That was again a problem against Florida.

“It’s very frustrating because we can’t get into the critical zone and just not score and expect to win the game,” Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams said. “We’ve got to score when we get into the critical zone.”

The Razorbacks had their chances Saturday, but the offense’s inability to get off to a fast start and take advantage of several scoring opportunities contributed to the team’s third consecutive loss.

Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick drove the offense 42 yards to the Florida 38 on the opening series. But the Razorbacks came away with no points after a false start penalty by offensive guard Grant Cook and a failed fourth-down play helped kill the drive.

On Arkansas’ next offensive series, running back Michael Smith gained 28 yards on four carries and Dick completed a 13-yard pass to tight end D.J. Williams to get to the offense to Florida’s 31.

As with the first drive, though, the Razorbacks were stopped by a false start penalty and another fourth-down play that came up short.

And Arkansas missed an opportunity to score at least a field goal before halftime when Dick completed three passes for 56 yards, giving the offense a first-and-10 at the Florida 25. But then he threw an ill-advised pass into a crowd of defenders for an interception.

“Offensively, we’ve got to find a way to score points,” Petrino said. “You can’t drive the ball, get down to the 30 and then not get points on the board. That hurt us.”

Petrino pointed to several reasons for the offense managed to score only one touchdown -- a 6-yard run by Smith in the third quarter -- despite gaining 20 first downs and 361 yards.

With a shorter field to work with, opposing defenses tend to tighten up and Arkansas’ passing game hasn’t responded by being more consistent. Petrino also said it wouldn’t hurt if the running backs could hit the “big home run” when the offense gets passed midfield.

“A positive is at least we’re out on the field, which helps the defense,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said of the long drives. “(But) it’s real frustrating. I think we had (three) drives again in the first half of over eight plays, where we didn’t get any points.”

As Arkansas begins preparing to face No. 20 Auburn (4-2, 2-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday, Petrino and his staff will continue trying to figure out the offensive woes that seem to keep the team from scoring.

Despite averaging 352.2 yards per game, the Razorbacks rank 109th in the nation in scoring offense (17.4 points per game). They also have managed just three offensive touchdowns over the past three games.

“We’ve got to start breaking long runs and long passes and then just basically knowing that we’re going to get it in the end zone,” Smith said. “I think if we start telling ourselves we’re going to get it in the end zone, then we will get it in there.”