CORVALLIS, Ore. — For the first time in five seasons, Montana (3-0, 1-0 Big Sky) will take a step up and clash with an opponent from the FBS.
The last time the Grizzlies did so was in 2021, when they opened that campaign with a shocking upset over then-ranked-No. 20 Washington in Seattle.
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Now they have a chance to make another statement as massive underdogs on the road against Oregon State.
"Their fans are very passionate. They've very loud," UM coach Bobby Kennedy said. "They get that chainsaw going which is an unbelievable tradition that they have. But Oregon State's a great environment and they have great fans and so it's going to be a good test for us because first road game, going into a hostile environment, should be fun."
The Beavers are 0-2 to start the season under new coach JaMarcus Shephard. But they've shown some juice in games against a pair of ranked opponents, including Houston (currently No. 22) on the road to start before going toe-to-toe with No. 13 Texas Tech last week in a game where OSU led in the fourth quarter.
"Their speed (stands out). They are throwing it a ton. They've got fast receivers, their quarterback is a good player who seems to make the right reads and gets the ball in the right guy's hands, and so we definitely have our work cut out for us because they are an explosive offense," Kennedy said.
"It's not just one receiver; it's two, three, four guys that can really run and take it to the house, so they're dangerous."
Oregon State lives and dies through the air with 793 passing yards in two games to just 81 yards on the ground, though the Beavers possess a third-down conversion rate of just 27%. FCS fans will recognize Beaver quarterback Braden Atkinson, who was the 2025 Jerry Rice Award winner at Mercer as the subdivision's top freshman.
His top target, true freshman Jesse Legree, is one of the most electric players in the early part of the college football season. He leads the FBS in receiving yards with 376.
Montana meanwhile ranks 90th in passing yards allowed in the FCS entering the contest.
"We're all super excited," UM safety Brock Beaner said. "Being able to go over there for our first away trip and play in that environment is very fun, and we're not making it bigger than what it is and I think we're all excited to play in a big environment like that."
Defense is where the Beavers appear vulnerable. OSU gave up over 500 yards to Houston, has allowed 30-plus points in both games, and struggled to get third-down stops with opponents converting 50% of the time, making that matchup with UM's talent-laden offense an interesting one.
A familiar face on that side of the ball for the Beavers is linebacker Dylan Layne, who previously spent the past four seasons competing at Idaho.
Billings native and West High graduate Jacob Anderson is also the lone Montanan on OSU's roster as a rotational offensive lineman in his fourth season. Mike MacIntyre, who has served as the head coach at Colorado, San Jose State and Florida International, is also OSU's defensive coordinator.
It's a big test for the Grizzlies in their first road game of the season and gives UM's stars a chance to show how they stack up against FBS competition and present an overall strong litmus test for the team as a whole before jumping back into Big Sky play next week in a crucial matchup against UC Davis.
"I definitely know I'm going to have to be on my A-game," UM wide receiver Brooks Davis said. "Bigger, faster, stronger, so kind of just polishing up some of my flaws from the last games and just try and work hard."
