Washington could not have gotten off to a worse start in this game, allowing Auburn to establish physicality on the line of scrimmage the Huskies couldn’t match. Washington went 3-and-out very quickly on their first drive and immediately gave up a long punt return putting Auburn in UW territory early. Auburn scored with 6-5 Sal Canella rising up over Jordan Miller to snag the Stidham pass. For a while, it felt like the Fiesta Bowl all over again.
However, Washington settled down and found success with - of all things- the downfield passing game.