Things are looking up for Sean White's status for Saturday's game at Georgia.
Auburn's quarterback is still suffering the effects of a shoulder injury, but he's 'full speed ahead' for the ninth-ranked Tigers' game in Athens this weekend.
He and running back Kamryn Pettway, who came up limping in a breakaway run late in the game against Vanderbilt, are two of Auburn's more prominent injuries. But in the SEC, everybody's hurting one way or another in November.
“This time of year, and it’s not just those two guys, there are a lot of guys, every team is banged up, we all are,” said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. “We’re getting into Week 10 in our league and so you still have physicality things you do in practice but a lot of it is mental and trying to get your guys to the game.”
White didn't start against Vanderbilt because of his injury — John Franklin III got the nod instead — but he took over at halftime with Auburn trailing and needing a 'spark,' as coach Gus Malzahn said.
This week, White won’t be limited by the gameplan in any way — Lashlee emphasized that the coaches will call plays to the best of White’s abilities and won’t be conservative in the way they let him throw the ball.
“We wouldn't put him out there if he wasn't capable of doing what he needs to do to execute the game plan and protect himself,” Lashlee said. “So we're going to game plan the way we think we need to and call the game the way we think we need to do to win it. I think being a year older than when he was this time last year when he was a little banged up helps.”
Lashlee referenced the only throw White made that traveled farther than 20 yards in the air Saturday to illustrate how his shoulder isn’t hampered enough to make a marked difference in White’s mechanics or his ability to make the throws he needs to.
“Sean’s not going to be limited. Obviously he’s not 100 percent, but I think you saw on the touchdown pass to Darius (Slayton) last week, the ball is probably 30-35 yards in the air,” Lashlee said. “I don’t think he’s going to be limited in any capacity or we probably wouldn’t put him out there. I mean, if he full-go, 100 percent, healthy and fresh like it was the first game? Probably not. Again, not a lot of people are, but he’ll be good to go.”
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