Coach Brian Kelly said that Johnson, who hasn't played since suffering an ankle injury in an Oct. 1 win at Purdue, was his old self at practice this week.

"It's a senior, a guy who knows our defense very well, is strong against the run and he's really going to help us a lot, especially on first-and-second down." Kelly said.

Kelly said freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch, who injured his ankle in Saturday's win at Wake Forest, will also play.

Kelly also said the surgery to repair ligament damage in the foot of senior center Braxston Cave went as expected. Cave injured his foot against Wake Forest. He is expected to be back in time to participate in spring practice, although he will likely be held out of contact drills.