Richt looks to end Georgia’s penalties run

Athens — Georgia coach Mark Richt wasn’t sure how they’re going to do it but the coaching staff plans on ending Georgia’s run as the most penalized team in college football. The Bulldogs have been flagged 53 times for 437 yards, including 10 for 81 in Saturday’s loss to Alabama.

“It’s been about 10 at least every game,” he said. “I’ve got to send a stronger message than we’ve sent to this point. That’s one of my number one priorities right now to make sure I do that.”

More troubling is the nature of the penalties. At least 10 — or two a game — have been personal fouls, including five for roughing the passer.

Richt questioned the calls on hitting the quarterback late.

“I don’t know how much different we’ve been,” he said. “In the past when you’re coming hard after a guy and he cuts it loose, the officials have said they have a little routine [to determine] how long it is before they consider it a late hit. I think most of ours have been very close to where our guy can’t get out of the way.

“The bottom, line is we’ve got to find a way to dodge them son-of-a-guns.”

Richt was asked last week if players are subjected to punitive measures if they commit penalties. He said that’s an internal matter.

“Whatever we’ve done it hasn’t slowed it down,” he said. “So we’ve got to crank it up.”

Theory on punts

On the “Fifth Quarter Call-in Show” on WRFC-AM 960 after the Georgia-Alabama game Saturday, co-host Kevin Butler had a theory about the punting woes of Georgia’s Brian Mimbs’ Saturday. Butler said that Mimbs was trying to punt the ball away from Javier Arenas.

But Georgia coach Mark Richt said the Bulldogs were not punting away from Arenas, who came into the game with an 18.7-yard return average.

“He wasn’t trying to directionally kick,” Richt said Monday. “We were not asking him to do that. We just asked him to do his normal thing. He knew that part of the objective was to kick the ball high and I think he tried to overdo it in that regard.”

Whatever the strategy was being utilized, Mimbs certainly didn’t pull it off. The senior from Dublin, Ga., averaged just 30.2 yards on four punts. His first punt was 29 yards and was returned 17 yards for a net of 12. He followed that up with a shank that went 19 yards. Alabama scored after both plays.

Mimbs came into the game ranked second in the SEC and 15th nationally with a 43.9-yard average. That includes a 77-yarder he hit against South Carolina.

Richt just chalked it up to a player having a bad day.

“He had a few that weren’t very pretty,” Richt said. “It was not like Brian at all. But I still have a lot of belief in Brian. If he just gets his mind right and just focuses on the drop and nail it like he always does it’ll be plenty high enough for us to cover.”

Injury update

Wide receiver Kris Durham (ankle) and tight end Tripp Chandler (shoulder) are out. Running back Knowshon Moreno (elbow), linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (knee) and tight end Bruce Figgins (shoulder) are questionable.