Florida LB Kitchens released from hospital

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida linebacker Darrin Kitchens has been released from a hospital after being diagnosed with a concussion.

The sophomore from Homestead was injured on a kickoff during Saturday night's loss against rival Florida State. He was strapped to a backboard, carted off the field and taken by ambulance to Shands Hospital for evaluation.

The helmet-to-helmet hit left him motionless for more than 10 minutes as team trainers and paramedics stabilized his neck. All tests were negative for a neck injury.

Kitchens, a backup, has 21 tackles in 12 games this season.

Quarterback John Brantley, running back Chris Rainey, defensive tackle Dominique Easley, tight end A.C. Leonard and guards Jon Halapio and Kyle Koehne also were injured during the game.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.