AUBURN | One of Auburn’s top weapons on offense will return for Saturday’s clash with No. 22 Penn State.

Wide receiver Malcolm Johnson, who missed the San Jose State game due to a minor injury, will be back at practice this week and is expected to play against the Nittany Lions.

"He just wasn't healthy enough to play. And I think he could have. I think we just had better options,” said AU coach Bryan Harsin. “But we need Malcolm on the field. He'll be ready to go. He's a tough kid and he'll be ready. We just had some other guys that were a little bit better than him at that time.”

Johnson dressed out for the SJSU game but didn’t participate in warmups. He started the opener against Mercer but didn’t catch a pass. He was targeted just once.

Johnson entered the season with six career receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown.

“That’s huge, especially a guy like Malcolm,” said tight end John Samuel Shenker of Johnson’s return. “A hard worker that knows what he’s doing. The effort and stuff is there with Malcolm. We missed him last week.

“He’s a key part to the offense and how things run on the offensive side of the ball. He’s a huge component to that. We’re happy to have him back.”

Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.