Bulldogs' play in win plagued by penalties

ATHENS, Ga. --- Curing Georgia of its strain of yellow fever isn't as easy as taking a shot of antibiotics and drinking a gallon of orange juice.

The Bulldogs' penalty flag affliction relapsed last week, despite the off-season effort to inoculate themselves.

Georgia had 13 penalties for 108 yards Saturday against South Carolina and finds itself in a familiar place, near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in penalties.

"We had been doing pretty well with the penalties," Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. "But sometimes things are going to happen, especially on defense, when you're playing like your hair is on fire and flying to the ball. It's something we have to clean up and we have to address and hold each other accountable."

After ranking at the bottom of the SEC in penalties last season, Georgia showed progress in its first game.

Georgia's performance against South Carolina nearly doubled its output against Oklahoma State, when the Bulldogs had seven penalties for 58 yards.

Georgia's coaches stopped short of calling it a step backward, but the Bulldogs will remain active and alert in disciplining penalties, both in practice and during games.

"We'll keep disciplining it. But some games get wild," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "(South Carolina) had a lot of penalties. We had a bunch of penalties. If you have to choose between the team playing the way we played with the amount of energy, fire and enthusiasm the whole game, and if the byproduct of that is penalties, I'll take that over a team that doesn't have a penalty, but doesn't have a pulse to go with it."

Georgia is second-to-last in the SEC, averaging 83 yards per game. Last week, Georgia's defense gave away four first downs by penalty. Georgia kept South Carolina's last drive alive with a pass interference call on third-and-2.

"This is no excuse in any way, but the type of game it was and the pace of the game and the intensity that was involved means that you're going to make some mistakes," Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "We don't want that to happen. We're disappointed because it could cost us a game. But fortunately it didn't."

The South Carolina game lasted 3 hours and 54 minutes. Players became fatigued mentally and physically by the end of the game which led to miscues. Many of Georgia's penalties against Oklahoma State happened in the second half.

"Most of the time when you get a penalty, it's because your technique is bad," wide receiver Michael Moore said. "I got a block-in-the-back penalty and that was because my technique was bad. I was trying to make a block any way I can. But it's things that can happen when you get tired."

Safety Reshad Jones has become a lightning rod for yellow flags in the past few seasons.

He has drawn unnecessary roughness penalties the past two weeks, one on a sideline tackle against South Carolina and another against an Oklahoma State receiver trying to catch a high pass.

"I love the way he is playing," Richt said of Jones. "I love the energy he is playing with. I don't think he has tried to hurt anybody. The sideline play, I think he was trying to tackle the guy. Against Oklahoma State, I think he did everything right.

"I didn't say anything to Reshad other than keep playing hard and make sure everything is below the neck when you make contact."

Reach Roger Clarkson at roger.clarkson@morris.com.