AUBURN, Alabama — Injured Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson appears ready to hit the field New Year's Day.

Johnson (shoulder) was unable to play at full strength in Auburn's 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship on Dec. 2 and was held to a season-low 44 yards. The Tigers returned to practice Friday for the first time since the championship game as it eyes a showdown with No. 12 UCF (12-0) in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

While Johnson didn't make it clear whether he practiced Friday, he did make one thing clear to a fan: he will play in the Peach Bowl.

When asked by a fan Friday night if he will play in the New Year's Six game, Johnson retweeted it with a simple "Of course" on Twitter.

If Johnson's prediction holds true, that's good news for Auburn and the SEC's leading rusher (1,320 yards)

Kamryn Pettway will not play in the game and his career at Auburn might also be finished after a slew of injuries and off-the-field punishments have forced him to miss most of the season. He has not played since Oct. 21, when he rushed for 90 yards at Arkansas.

Johnson injured his right shoulder and ribs in a 26-14 victory against then-No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 25. He went down with the injuries late in the victory.

“I know he’ll want to play," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Wednesday. "He’s a great competitor. All of our guys will want to play. Our guys play for each other. So we’ll see where that goes. I’ll have a better idea once we get out to practice and move around and everything that goes with that."

No. 7 Auburn (10-3) practiced Friday and will return to the field for five straight days of practices starting Sunday.

JOhnson has been named to several All-America teams as a second-teamer and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy race.

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