After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, Washington’s offense nonetheless took the field after Keishawn Bierria recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. Jake Browning then hit Dante Pettis on a 21-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, giving Washington a 7-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game.
Idaho’s second possession went much better than their first, including two first-down conversions (one of them on fourth down), but nonetheless ended in a punt. Washington took possession on their own 15-yard line, and coughed up the ball five plays into the drive after left tackle Trey Adams was beaten by linebacker Kaden Elliss, who forced Jake Browning to fumble by stripping him from the blind side.