Auburn vs. Georgia

Auburn quarterback Sean White (13) passes the ball against Georgia Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, during the first half at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

(JULIE BENNETT)

Sean White aggravated the injury to his right throwing shoulder during Saturday's loss to rival Georgia and the Auburn quarterback did not communicate the severity of the problem to the coaching staff.

The redshirt-sophomore quarterback said he got hurt "early" in the 13-7 loss that ended Auburn's chances for an SEC West title, berth in the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff.

"A guy came on a blitz or something," White said. "(He) hit me and (the ball) came free after I threw the ball and just kind of aggravated something. ... I think I could have done a better job letting the coaches know. I wanted to play with my team and I wanted to try to win.

White was just 6 of 20 for 27 yards with an interception. As Auburn failed to gain a first down during the second half, White failed to complete nine straight passes, including a pick-six that tied the game in the opening minute of the third quarter, and went 2 of 11 for eight yards.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said the coaching staff stuck with White, who came into Saturday's game leading the SEC in completion percentage and passer efficiency, because "he's our quarterback."

Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said White gave the Tigers the best chance to win.

"When we started the game, there was no reason for us to believe Sean wasn't healthy enough to win the game for us," Lashlee said. "And to be honest with you, I know he got hit early in the game. And the kind of kid he is, he was going to fight tooth and nail. There was really no indication at that point that there was a reason to take him out for injury. ... There was no reason to take him out. I think, for whatever reason, people are trying to put a lot more on him than is fair."

However White was noticeably favoring his right shoulder on the sideline late in the third quarter, while John Franklin III began to warm up. Lashlee attributed that to Franklin keeping his arm warm if called upon for a passing play later in the game.

"Just being a competitor, I wanted to win (and) I wanted to be out there playing," White said. "I don't know if I really let them know how bad it was hurting me. That's on me and I have to do a better job of just being honest.

"Because maybe the best chance to win might be somebody else if I'm not healthy enough."

Running back Kerryon Johnson, who also played though an injury, said he couldn't tell White was hurting during the loss to the Bulldogs.

"When you have an injury and you're a quarterback and you have an injury, it's all heart," Johnson said. "No matter the injury it's going to be a hard game. He fought through it and he gave us a chance. We just got to make plays around him, we got to protect him and we got to want to win just like he does."