Rice safety Daveon Hook was carted off the field with a serious injury during the Armed Forces Bowl against Texas State on Friday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
Hook was evaluated on the field for an extended period before being taken by stretcher to a local hospital for further examination.
The incident occurred late in the third quarter of the Owls’ 41-10 loss to Texas State.
Hook, a senior from Cibolo, Texas, went for a tackle and collided with a Bobcats defensive lineman, appearing to hurt his head or neck.
He remained motionless on the turf for a significant amount of time while medical personnel attended to him.
Officials immobilized Hook’s neck and placed him on a stretcher before carting him off the field.
During the stoppage, Rice players gathered on the field and were seen praying for their teammate.
After the game, the team said Hook, who was transported to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth for continued evaluation, had feeling in his upper extremities.
“He had feeling and movement everywhere,” Rice head coach Scott Abell said after the game, via The Rice Thresher. “There was a lot of precaution, as there should be, taken. We’ll see. I don’t want to respond much because I don’t know a whole lot.
“We’ll check on him ASAP. He talked to me as he left and he was moving everything. We’ll get him checked out and hopefully he’s all good.”
Hook’s injury was a significant moment in a difficult outing for the Owls, who entered the bowl game with a 5-7 record and were defeated by a strong Texas State squad.
Hook is a four-year player for Rice, having appeared in 37 games with 95 tackles.
He also earned American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors.
