A neck injury forced Auburn right tackle Darius James out of Saturday’s game against Mercer.

James, a senior, went down on a run by Kamryn Pettway in the second quarter. He remained on the ground for close to 10 minutes until he was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field. He was immediately taken to the East Alabama Medical Center for precautionary reasons.

After the Tigers put the finishing touches on a 24-10 win, however, coach Gus Malzahn told reporters James had received “a good report” from doctors, according to the Opelika-Auburn News.

Kristi Malzahn, the Auburn coach’s wife, reportedly went to the hospital to be by James’ side, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Malzahn also told reporters James was back from the hospital in time to celebrate with the team in the locker room.

And they were glad to see him.

“We actually saw once we were coming in and the whole team including the defense ran over to hug him immediately,” senior safety Tray Matthews said, according to the Advertiser. “We were like, ‘Man you alright? We thought you were dead’ and just messing with him. We were all happy and excited that he’s physically OK. I was scared and shocked. It hurt to see him like that. I told him my heart dropped and said, ‘Man, you almost made all of us have heart attacks out there’.”

Once James exited the game, he was replaced by Austin Golson, who shifted over from center. Casey Dunn, a graduate transfer from Jacksonville State, came in at center. Dunn was a two-time All-America selection during his time at Jacksonville State.