After suffering a separated shoulder in the first half of Auburn’s game against Texas A&M on Sept. 23, Auburn sophomore running back Damari Alston could return to action this weekend as the Tigers host Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“I think they’ll let him go,” Freeze said of Alston during his time on the SEC Coaches’ Teleconference on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m not 100 percent on that, but it’s trending that way.”

During the viewing window of Tuesday’s practice, Alston was seen without a non-contact jersey for the first time since his injury.

Prior to his shoulder injury, Alston had appeared in each of Auburn’s four games and had tallied 85 yards on 14 carries and was generally the first running back to relieve starter Jarquez Hunter.

In Alston’s absence, it’s been junior USF transfer Brian Battie and freshman Jeremiah Cobb who have seen an uptick in production.