CORVALLIS, Ore. — Montana (3-0, 1-0 Big Sky) will play its first road game of the season Saturday, Sept. 19, against Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon. Kickoff is set for 11 p.m. ET on USA. It is the first time in five seasons that the Grizzlies have stepped up to face an FBS opponent. The last such game came in 2021, when Montana opened with an upset over then-No. 20 Washington in Seattle.
Oregon State is favored by 17.5 points, with a moneyline of -1050. Montana is a +17.5 underdog and +660 on the moneyline. The over/under sits at 53.5 total points. The line opened with Oregon State as a 9.5-point favorite before moving to 17.5.
The Beavers are 0-2 under new coach JaMarcus Shephard, but they have shown juice against a pair of ranked opponents. Oregon State opened on the road against Houston, currently No. 22, then went toe-to-toe with No. 13 Texas Tech last week and led in the fourth quarter. Oregon State lives through the air with 793 passing yards in two games to just 81 yards on the ground. The Beavers have a third-down conversion rate of 27%.
FCS fans will recognize Oregon State 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, leads the FBS in receiving yards with 376. Legree has caught 13 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns and is a threat to score every time he touches the football. Atkinson has thrown for 789 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line has allowed six sacks, but the ground attack should have an easier time against Montana.
Montana coach Bobby Kennedy was elevated to the head coaching position after Bobby Hauck went to Illinois to become its defensive coordinator. Kennedy was the receivers coach at Montana prior to the switch and has never been a head coach. The Grizzlies have also adjusted personnel along the offensive and defensive lines, which has created close games all season.
The Montana offense is led by quarterback Keali’I Ah Yat, who has exploited three weaker FCS defenses while throwing for 793 yards and five passing touchdowns over the first three weeks. All-American running back Eli Gillman has run for 332 yards on 6.7 yards per attempt with seven rushing scores. Brooks Davis and Lekeldrick Bridges have stepped up at receiver and are reliable outlets for Ah Yat. The offensive line lost five starters from last season but has played cohesively together during the first three weeks.
The Montana defense, though, has not been good. Southern Utah moved the ball up and down the field and finished with 510 yards, but five drives stalled inside the Montana 40-yard line, resulting in just three total points in a 28-21 Griz win. Non-scholarship Pioneer League member Drake threw the ball all over Montana’s secondary, and it also had five drives stall inside the Montana 30-yard line. Montana allowed over 400 total yards to Utah Tech, one of the worst offensive teams at the FCS level. Montana ranks 90th in passing yards allowed in the FCS entering the contest.
Oregon State’s defense has played good football given the competition. The Beavers have seen 98 rushing plays this season, and only three have been classified as explosive. Its pass coverage has been exploited a bit, but Oregon State has faced a pair of really solid Power 4 teams. The defensive line still created pressure while the rest of the defense made Houston and Texas Tech work for everything they got offensively. 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.
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 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 Oregon State’s defensive coordinator.
Oregon State has cashed in for touchdowns on 80% of its red-zone trips against significantly better competition this season. Montana has allowed 11 trips inside the red zone in three games against weak competition, being saved only by careless turnovers, missed field goals and fumbles.
Montana safety Brock Beaner said the team is super excited to go over for its first away trip and play in that environment. UM wide receiver Brooks Davis said he knows he will have to be on his A-game because the competition is bigger, faster and stronger. Montana returns to Big Sky play next week in a crucial matchup against UC Davis.
