A late hit and an awkward fall led to a North Carolina State football player having to be stretchered off during a Thursday night game with UConn. 

Safety Rakeim Ashford took a late hit from UConn’s Isiah Davis and fell to the ground with 1:54 left in the third quarter of their season opener, which the Wolfpack won 24-14, at Rentschler Field in Hartford.

Davis was handed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the late hit, but Ashford lay on the ground for roughly 10 minutes motionless. 

Team trainers and medical staff attended to him before he was eventually stretchered off the field.

Ashford gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was being taken away by medical personnel. 

According to The Athletic, a school spokesperson told the CBS broadcast that Ashford was taken to a local hospital for further testing and that he had feeling in his extremities. 

After the game, NC State head coach Dave Doeren said Ashford was doing “OK,” and that preliminary reports were “positive,” according to the Associated Press.

“They’re going to keep him overnight to make sure, but every test they’ve done so far is OK,” he said.

Ashford is a graduate student from Ackerman, Mississippi. 

In three seasons with NC State, Ashford has 29 tackles, including 11 solo tackles, and one interception.