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J.J. Dielman knows all about streaks. He's broken them before.

Utah enters this weekend with a 38-year-long drought against Arizona State, a series of 10 straight losses. But back when Dielman was a senior at Desert Vista High, he went up against (what seemed then) an equally history: Hamilton, with the nation's longest active winning streak of 53 games.

Going head-to-head with the unbeaten Huskies,

He's sure Arizona State defensive tackle Jaxon Hood remembers it, too: Hood played for Hamilton.

About time to strike up the rivalry again, don't you think?

"He's been starting since he was a freshman," Dielman said. "He's got a lot of talent, always has. It will be fun to butt heads with him again."

Dielman, a sophomore, is in his first year as a starter. While he might not see a lot of one-on-one snaps with Hood, he knows what to expect. Hood, a junior, has started every game this year, and though his nine tackles this season doesn't stand out, he's a strong, assertive presence at the front of the defense.

Back in the day, he was Arizona's best: As a senior, Hood was named the best defensive lineman in the state, in addition to sharing the all-state page with Dielman.

"He was aggressive, man. He was all over the place," Dielman said of Hood. "His name was on the stat sheet for sure. He's the same player, just a little bigger, little stronger, little faster."

Another connection between the Utes and the Sun Devils has a more friendly basis — but that won't necessarily make it a civil affair in Saturday's game.

Receiver Tim Patrick and ASU corner Kweishi Brown were teammates at Grossmont College, each a key contributor for the junior college team. They had different routes to where they are now: Brown was a four-star recruit when he signed with ASU, while Patrick had to squeeze in classes to make sure he was immediately eligible this fall.

But they've both wound up in the same place: starters. And Patrick said they'll never soon forget where they came from either.

"We've been on the same grind at JC," he said. "All JC players go through that same thing, we know what each other went through, so we definitely have that bond. I've talked to him every week. He know this week is business."

There could definitely be some one-on-one snaps on that front, as the two JuCo players re-enact two seasons of their practice routine during Saturday's top 25 tilt. Brown has 25 tackles this season, while Patrick has 10 catches for 123 yards and is looking to help replace the loss of Dres Anderson.

If there's sizzle to this match-up, it will have to wait until game time: Patrick has tried and failed to provoke Brown in some back-and-forth jawing so far.

"I think I'm more of a trash talker," Patrick said. "He's more humble. I tried to start trash talking, and he's just like, 'Hey, we'll see on the field.' Hopefully both of us have a good game. Nothing but good vibes."

— Kyle Goon

Twitter: @kylegoon