In 2017—the last time Montana squared off against Washington—the Huskies cruised to a 63-7 blowout victory in which they gained over 500 yards. Montana came into Saturday's matchup hoping to "close the gap" in a game in which the program was paid $675,000 to play in.
Suffice to say, the Grizzlies closed the gap and then some.
Montana pulled off perhaps the most stunning upset of college football's opening weekend, beating No. 20 Washington, 13-7, with a stifling defensive performance. The FCS Grizzlies went 10-4 and finished No. 6 last season, and followed up that impressive campaign with one of the biggest upsets in program history.
It's the first time since 1920 that Montana has beaten Washington, and just its second win in 20 meetings.
Washington scored a touchdown on its opening possession with a nine-play, 78-yard drive. From there, the Huskies were grounded, notching just 213 yards for the rest of the game. Montana held Washington to 65 rushing yards on 27 attempts, and intercepted Huskies quarterback Dylan Morris three times.
Despite the offensive struggles, Washington held a 7-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter before Montana pulled ahead on a four-yard touchdown run by Cameron Humphrey. A field goal put the Grizzlies up by six with under three minutes to play, and the Montana defense sealed the win with an interception with under a minute to play.
Montana's win marks the fifth time an FCS team has upset a ranked FBS team since 2000, and the first since North Dakota State beat No. 13 Iowa in 2016. Montana will face Western Illinois next week, while Washington travels on the road to take on Michigan.
