Montana State Donates $3K To Help Rival Montana's Marching Band Get To FCS Championship, But That Didn't Help Anything

Montana State went above and beyond to help their rivals - Montana - prepare for the FC Championship game. It ended up being a terrible decision.

The Grizzlies faced the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas. However, Montana couldn’t find enough funding to get their matching band to the Lone Star State for the game.

That’s not a good look on the Grizzlies alumni base. The marching band plays a big part in igniting school spirit at any sporting events. It’s embarrassing that not enough Montana graduates could pool enough money together to get the band to Frisco for their first FCS Championship appearance since 2001.

However, the Grizzlies got help from an unlikely place. Their rivals chipped in the necessary funds to get the band to Texas.

"Our marching bands work tirelessly to cheer on our teams and fill our fans with spirit!" Montana State announced via social media. "We stand together as one Montana community. MSU is wishing you all the best in Frisco!"

Mind you, these schools despise each other on the field. Their rivalry dates back all the way to 1897, which was two years before Montana even became a state. If you think Michigan would have done this for Ohio State, or Alabama for Auburn, you’re kidding yourself. Even so, Montana State showed some incredible class and helped their rivals out in a pinch.

Needless to say, the band was quite excited to have a chance to perform in Frisco and cheer on their team.

But that excitement didn’t last too long.

Turns Out Montana State Didn't Help Much By Donating

Montana never led in a 23-3 loss to the Jackrabbits. The closest they ever came to leading (other than the start of the game) came after a 30-yard field goal from Nico Ramos to make it 7-3 in the second quarter. After that, South Dakota State smothered the Grizzlies offense, only surrendering 259 total yards the whole day. Turns out the Grizzlies band didn’t have much to cheer about all game long.

Things got so ugly that Jackrabbits wide receiver Jadon Janke was hitting the “Too Small” celebration just inches away from Grizzlies defenders.

So did the Montana band get the experience of a lifetime by heading to Frisco? Absolutely. But they didn’t get the chance to affect the game through their enthusiasm all that often.

As such, this will likely go down as one of - if not the - worst investments in Montana State history. And it came in an effort to help a rival, no less.