Richt "Optimistic" That Chubb Won't Need Surgery.

A Georgia fan base in desperate need of some good news may have gotten some Saturday night when Mark Richt revealed that tailback Nick Chubb might not need surgery on his left knee. Chubb went down on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage with a gruesome injury in which his knee appeared to hyperextend and his tibia and fibula made an unplanned expedition forward and away from his knee.

Those who saw it naturally assumed the worst. Chubb in obvious pain and apparent tears on the sideline didn't put anyone at ease. But in his postgame remarks Coach Richt was remarkably positive about the situation, saying that coaches are "still pretty hopeful it won’t require surgery." "We're just not 100 percent sure of that. We have to get some confirmation", Richt continued, though he declined to give specific details for the staff's optimism.

Before Bulldog fans get too excited (at least as excited as they can get after that deplorable performance) it's worth remembering that one can do a metric ton of damage to a knee which surgery won't fix. The fact that Chubb might not require surgery wouldn't  mean he isn't looking at weeks of rehab. There's a lot of cartilage and ligamentous tissue in the knee which can be damaged at a sub-surgical level. So Chubb is decidedly not out of the woods yet, even if surgery is off the table. What's more, it's doubtful doctors will be able to fully rule out surgery until after the swelling from the initial injury goes down some.

But the mere possibility that Nick Chubb isn't looking at a season-ending injury is about the best news available to 'Dawg fans on a night like tonight. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. Until later...

Go 'Dawgs!!!