In what was supposed to be an energetic crowd welcoming in an improved Rice team under Mike Bloomgren, the stadium shuddered in complete silence in the first quarter.
Rice redshirt freshman quarterback Wiley Green scrambled to the sideline in attempt to fight for a score near the pylon. But behind his block awaited Wake Forest outside linebacker Justin Strnad, who stopped Green dead in his tracks with a head-on collision. For the next 13 minutes, the quarterback lied motionless on the field while athletic staff tended to him. Green was carted off the field.