Kamryn Pettway's return comes at an ideal time for Auburn.

After serving a one-game suspension to open the season, Pettway will return for No. 13 Auburn when it travels to take on No. 3 Clemson this Saturday at 6 p.m. The return of Pettway, who led Auburn in rushing and led the SEC in yards per game, gives Auburn's backfield a big boost -- especially with the uncertainty surrounding the status of fellow running back Kerryon Johnson.

"It's a good thing to have Kam Pettway back in the flow of things," receiver Ryan Davis said. "It also opens up more things and gives the opponent more things to worry about, so having Kam Pettway is always a good thing."

Auburn is "hopeful" that Johnson will be available against the defending national champs, though coach Gus Malzahn would not go into details about the severity of Johnson's injury -- or what he injured, though the Tigers' radio broadcast said during the game that it was a lower hamstring injury. That could leave Auburn without one of its top two rushers for the second straight game.

Pettway, at least, will be back in action. After rushing for 1,224 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago, Pettway opted to return to Auburn and entered the season eyeing the school's single-season rushing mark set by Tre Mason in 2013.

The 6-foot, 235-pounder out of Prattville has proven capable of being a bell cow in the rushing game and one of the top running backs in the country when healthy. Pettway averaged 23.22 carries per game in contests he recorded at least one carry (he played, but did not attempt a run in the opener against Clemson last season) and was a bruising between-the-tackles runner for Auburn.

"He's repped all fall camp," Malzahn said. "He repped last week. I think he'll be in good shape and he'll be fresh and ready to go."

With Johnson potentially sidelined, Pettway will be Auburn's No. 1 option out of the backfield against Clemson, with Kam Martin the likely second option after his 136-yard effort against Georgia Southern following Johnson's injury. Malzahn said redshirt freshman Malik Miller, who had three carries for 15 yards in the opener, could also be in the mix behind Pettway.

Auburn, which rushed for 351 yards last week and is currently second in the SEC in rushing, is confident in its run game regardless of who is getting the carries.

"If we execute, it doesn't really matter who we have back there," Auburn right guard Braden Smith said. "We have lots of great players. If the offensive line executes, then anybody should be able to roll back there."