It’s all in your head, it’s all in your head, it’s all in your head.

Georgia football is last in the entire country in penalties, and, seemingly, the above has become a familiar mantra. The fear of fouling up has become an all-too-familiar thought in the heads of Bulldogs in 2009.

“There’s been times when you get in the huddle and all you’re talking about is don’t jump offsides, and you’re saying it over and over again,” said quarterback Joe Cox. “And it’s almost like people get so freaked out that you’re talking about it so much. It’s pretty crazy how fine that line really is. It’s almost like the more you talk about it. the worse it gets.”

Is the number of penalties (an NCAA-worst 9.44 per game) the Bulldogs continue to accrue crazy?

Absolutely.

But the notion that once the ball gets rolling, once the flags start flying, it only gets worse?

Maybe not.

“We are definitely affected by the behavior of people around us, whether we’re aware of it or not,” said Dr. Janet Frick, a football fan and associate professor in the University’s psychology department. “Certainly, in this situation, you can have a self-fulfilling prophesy, where the team is thinking, oh, we’re getting penalized a lot, here we go, it’s probably going to happen to me. And that can lead people to unconsciously behave in a way that’s more likely to get penalized.”

And, unconscious or not, the Bulldogs have been highly likely to get penalized this season.

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In terms of sheer yardage, the six most-penalized seasons in Georgia football history are as follows: 2003. 2008. 2002. 2004. 2001. 2007.

With a potential bowl game factoried in, the Bulldogs are on pace for over 1,000 yards in penalties for just the second time in the program’s history.

It won’t take a Georgia fan long to find the common denominator – Mark Richt.

Richt came to Athens in 2001 under the auspice of Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, his former boss and mentor, questioning whether or not he had enough of a mean streak to be a college head coach. It’s something he’s still asked about to this day, and all the penalties aren’t helping.

“People that know me well or the team or the coaches, they know that I’ve got another edge to me thtat I don’t show publicly all the time,” Richt said recently.

“Maybe that’s what the public wants to see, but if you are going to be accused of something, being accused of being a nice guy isn’t one of the worst things to be accused of.”

And, when it comes to penalties, Richt has ratcheted up his mean meter of late. In last week’s game against Tennessee Tech (one which saw the Bulldogs earn 11 flags), players who committed violations were pulled for the remainder of the series.

He wouldn’t quite say violators would be pulled for whole series Saturday against Auburn, but he did say they will be removed from the game, even if for only a play.

“They will come out of the game if they get a penalty,” Richt said. “They know it’s coming. We’re handling it in practice too.”

Richt is still a “nice guy.” But he’s making a stand.

“Everybody has their limits,” said linebacker Rennie Curran. “When things start getting out of hand, coach Richt’s going to let you know. If you do things right, he’s going to encourage you and praise you, and if you’re not, he’s going to be the first one to tell you.”

Like at any other school, there are repercussions for transgressions within the Georgia football program. Penalties called in practice are addressed with a stern “talking” to, grueling up-down drills on the spot, and more up-downs after practice.

The message is being sent. It just hasn’t translated yet.

“It’s not really in the coaches’ hands. It’s all about the players,” said defensive end Demarcus Dobbs. “We’re the ones on the field committing the things. Despite what the coaches throw at you, whether they want to give you a reward or punish you, it’s not really going to take an affect on what’s going to happen in the game.”

“It’s all about the players, and what they do in the heat of the moment.”

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Not every player on Georgia’s roster buys into the idea that once one of their teammates gets a penalty, its instantly in their head, just begging for them to break concentration.

But the psyche is a fragile thing, especially in split-second, quick-decision sports like college football. Whether the Bulldogs are “thinking” about it may be a legitimate question.

But the thought is there.

“It’s on their minds,” Frick said. “It’s a very legitimate psychological interpretation to say that there could be some element of social contagion or self-fulfilling prophesy going on.”

Yellow flags have become commonplace at Sanford Stadium, and wherever else Georgia is playing. The Bulldogs are being penalized 77 yards every game they are featured in this season, only a slightly better national ranking than their penalties per game (117th).

And, just to add to the social contagion theory, Georgia opponents are being penalized more per game than any other SEC team’s.

“We try to keep everyone relaxed in the huddle, me and Joe, just like hey, you have to relax,” said wide receiver Michael Moore. “You got a penalty but you’ve still got to go out there and try and do what you gotta do. I wouldn’t say it makes everyone uptight, but once you get one, you don’t want to get the next one.”

“And that kicks in.”