The game took place on January 1, 1924, at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California, closing the 1923 college football season.

The game kicked off in the afternoon; heavy rain showers had fallen the day before, causing a slight delay.

[6] The Navy Midshipmen entered the Rose Bowl under coach Bob Folwell with five wins, one loss, and two ties (5–1–2).

[11] Eleven teams finished with only one loss, including Furman (10–1), Notre Dame (9–1), and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) (9–1).

[12] The Washington Huskies entered the 1924 Rose Bowl with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1) under coach Enoch Bagshaw.

[15] The competitors were announced on November 30, 1923,[14] and the teams arrived for the bowl in mid-December, holding practices until the evening before the game.

[9][16] Heavy rain fell the night before the competition; Bagshaw said, "Wet weather will not bother us", and Folwell said, "My men will know what to do in the mud and will be there doing it".

[9] However, because of the wet conditions, several football critics predicted that Washington would have a slight advantage in the game due to their larger size.

[18] During the 1923 football season, the Navy Midshipmen outscored their opponents 133–43, led by quarterback Ira McKee, who threw several touchdown passes throughout the year.

Navy's other offensive strong point was running back Carl Cullen, who ran for several hundred yards during the season.

[9][19] The Navy defense was considered weak by football critics, with an average player weight 10 pounds (4.5 kg) less than that of Washington.

[9] The Washington Huskies had outscored their opponents 203–37 during the regular season, excluding the games against New York and Mississippi.

Washington's running backs, George "Wildcat" Wilson and Elmer Tesreau, led their offense during the season, each gaining several hundred rushing yards.

Washington's defense had been very effective during the regular season, holding five teams scoreless and allowing more than ten points to be scored against them only once.

Navy controlled the first quarter, completing all six passing attempts and holding the Washington offense to under 100 yards gained.

After several drives from each team that did not result in further scoring, Navy completed a 57-yard pass down to the Washington eight-yard line.

Two plays later, Ira McKee ran the ball in from two yards out for a touchdown, then afterward converted the extra point.

Washington stacked their offensive line, allowing their left guard, James Bryan, to become an eligible receiver.

Fred Abel passed the ball to Bryan, who caught it just short of the goal line and walked into the end zone for the touchdown.

On the next play, Fred Abel threw a long pass to George Wilson, who was tackled on the Navy 20-yard line after gaining 30 yards.

Washington brought out their placekicker, Leonard Ziel, to kick a 32-yard field goal, which would have won them the game.

[1][2] For his performance in the 1924 Rose Bowl, Navy quarterback Ira McKee was awarded Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.

He left near the end of the game, and was later discovered to have broken his previously unaffected leg in multiple places.

Carl Cullen was McKee's main receiver for the game, catching ten passes from him, one of which was taken for a touchdown.

Cullen, McKee and fullback Alan Shapley, and other team members rushed for a total of 187 yards during the game.

McKee completed both extra point attempts, and the squad's punter kicked five times, for an average distance of 33.8 yards.

Washington's kicker Leonard Zeil was two for two on extra points, but missed his only field goal attempt.

Washington finished the 1920s with an overall record of 65–26–6; Bagshaw coached the team for every season except 1920, when they were under the leadership of Stub Allison.

Navy's coach, Bob Folwell, left the team after the 1924 season, to be replaced by Jack Owsley.