For the past two seasons Montana State University has gotten everything its wanted out of the nickelback position with the ever present Ty Okada holding down the spot and drawing endless praise for his efforts.
To say Okada, who’s currently vying to be a member of the Seattle Seahawks, could do it all wasn’t hyperbole. Last season he filled up the stat sheet. He led the team in passes defended with nine (second most was four), he tied for first in fumble recoveries (2), was third in tackles (73), third in tackles for loss (6), third in sacks (3), he also had an interception, quarterback hurry and a blocked punt. The prior season was similar as he was third in tackles and again had six tackles for loss.
For the off-season, and especially the last couple of weeks, MSU sophomore Caden Dowler has been in a stiff competition with senior Level Price, Jr. to take over the gaping hole left by Okada. Less than a week ahead of Montana State’s season opener against Utah Tech in Bozeman, Price’s name appeared first on the MSU depth chart. But the battle is likely to rage on, Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen said.
“Somebody’s gotta go out there the first play between Level and Caden,” Vigen said during his press conference on Monday. “What Level brings to the table is his experience, his knowledge of what we’re trying to do and his athleticism on the coverage side of things. Both guys will be in at that position.”
It’s probably the first time Dowler has had this bright of a spotlight shining on him. Part of that is due to having his twin brother, MSU’s electric punt returner and wide receiver Taco Dowler, lighting up playing fields since the two started playing together.
With Taco nursing a shoulder injury and Caden constantly growing into a solid defender and now attempting to take over one the most prestigious and demanding positions on a football field, the Billings West product is getting all kinds of attention as coaches, teammates, media and fans critique his play during camp.
“That’s a really diverse position; they have to be in the run fits a lot,” MSU junior defensive end Brody Grebe said on MSU’s media day in early August. “They have to play man coverage. They have to get out and guard guys all the time. So you got to have an athletic guy that’s smart, that knows where he’s fitting, that knows how to play.”
When they have a spare second, members of the Montana State defense take looks at the 2023 nickelback competition. Grebe is no exception.
“Those guys have been coming along well, and I think that they both got a lot of reps in spring ball,” Grebe said. “And they both been working hard this summer. So it’s gonna be a battle for both of them.”
Vigen has stressed the play of the secondary has to improve since the end of the 2022 season and he’s mentioned it in recent weeks. The defense allowed 70 plays of over 20 yards last season and the secondary was a large part of that.
“It’s no real secret that’s a position we didn’t perform real well at times last year,” Vigen said of the secondary. “There’s a lot to that. We need to put those guys in position to make plays and do the things they do well. I think we have a good sense for what that would be and by no means is it a deal where we’re gonna play five guys. We’ll go with five to start and I think you’ll see more than that as we try to get guys game experience.”
Rylan Ortt, a strong safety out of Missoula Sentinel, has a bird’s eye view of the goings on at nickel. He also knows what it’s supposed to look like after observing Okada the past two seasons and even dabbling in the position himself in his younger days.
“That’s big shoes to fill but those guys are more than capable of filling them,” Ortt said. “Multiple guys can bring multiple skills to the table for multiple situations. Ty Okada can do it all, but you can’t always find that. It would be good for those two to compete and whatever happens, happens but as long as they are competing, that’s making each other better and it makes the defense better overall.”
“It’s a big spot in our defense because the nickel is in a lot of the run game, a lot of the pass game. He’s a mix between the ‘backer and the safety. He is talking to the front line, the back line. And we have two really good guys who are going to go compete for that spot.”
Dowler is new to the nickelback position after spending last season as a backup safety while being used primarily as a special teams player.
“Nickel is fairly new to me,” Dowler said. “I played free safety in high school but no nickel. We had a nickel position, but it wasn’t as complicated as the college level. My high school coach (Billings West head coach Rob Stanton) did prepare me really well for knowing responsibilities and gaps and zones, all that.
“Still, it’s all really new and this spring was a process getting acclimated to it.”
Dowler was aware of Okada’s dynamic play a year ago but didn’t really delve into it until he made the switch from safety to nickelback this spring.
“Watching a guy like Ty was so awesome and seeing how he worked more than anything,” Dowler said. “I was working at strong safety, so I was trying to get those calls down and learn a new defense. I wasn’t locked in on his responsibilities last year but now going back and watching the film and breaking down what he’s doing, wow, he really did unlock a new level to the defense.
“He could play where he would have to play linebacker and he could play slot corner. Being in that same position is really cool. I’m trying to play for the guys next to me and doing my job and as long as I do my job, we should be good.”
Price, Jr. was Okada’s primary backup a year ago and as a senior has an edge in experience.
“This year, I’m practicing being more of a vocal leader rather than just lead by example and watching Ty Okada last year, how he approached every day, that’s how I’m trying to approach every day to teach all those younger guys that we are going to play a long season so the more depth we have, the better we will be,” Price said.
Dowler has been making big strides throughout the spring, summer and fall despite changing positions. He specifically noticed the change in skill level on the other side of the ball.
“In high school, when we were in our Cover 4 check, we’d be 12 to 15 yards away. It seems really close because they get up on you really fast and they are a little faster in college, too,” Dowler said with a laugh. “In the spring, when I first transitioned to nickel, the part that was the most foreign was being four of five yards from the slot receiver.”
Price, Jr. and Dowler’s battle continues to wage on but they both know that by dueling against each other hard every day they and the team will only get better.
“Our position battle has been great, and we just try to get ourselves better,” Dowler said. “It makes each other better and makes the competition grow.”
