After a tough 28-20 loss at Penn State last Saturday night, Auburn returns to action this Saturday at home against Georgia State.

And the hope is that the No. 23 Tigers will have a couple of key performers available.

On Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference, Auburn coach Bryan Harsin was asked about the status of injured linebacker Owen Pappoe, who left the Penn State game in the 2nd half with an apparent leg injury, as well as injured running back Shaun Shivers, who has missed the last 2 games due to an undisclosed injury.

“Shaun is practicing,” Harsin said. “It’s really good to have him back. He’s an energy guy. … The guy loves football. It was a good pick-me-up having him out there yesterday. Owen is doing some things. We have practice today, so we’ll see what he’s able to do.”

Also on Wednesday, Harsin was asked about what he’s seen from Vanderbilt transfer Donovan Kaufman, and the 1st-year Auburn coach had high praise for the 5-10, 200-pound freshman safety from New Orleans.

“I like Donovan. I like his focus. He’s got a lot of urgency about him,” Harsin said. “He’s very engaged in what’s happening. … He’s purposeful and wants to be successful. He’s adapted to the team and all those things once he got here. He continues to get better. … He is one of those guys that spends the time to do it.”

Kaufman appeared in just 2 games for the Commodores, but in 3 games with the Tigers he’s recorded 5 tackles. He also returned 3 kicks for 61 yards against Akron in the season opener.