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When USC quarterback Cody Kessler sees Utes linebacker Jared Norris, eye black smeared down to his chin, stalking him from across the line of scrimmage on Saturday night, he'll know he only has himself to blame.

Once upon a time, they were two quarterbacks on neighboring little league teams. Kessler was a star passer, even as an eighth-grader. Norris — well, he needed another role when they ended up at the same high school.

"I was like, 'Dang, I'm going to school with him and I don't know if I'm going to be able to beat him out,' " Norris said. "So I'm like, 'Well I guess I need to find another position.' "

Norris switched to linebacker: "I was good at it."

In a sense, Norris owes Kessler for his success as a linebacker at Utah, where he's an all-Pac-12 candidate halfway through his junior year. Then again, Kessler can credit Norris' defensive exploits at Centennial High School in Bakersfield, California, for helping giving him the platform that landed him his dream offer from USC.

No one's keeping track of who owes whom. Best friends wouldn't, though, would they?

Yes, best friends. As in, we-don't-hang-out-with-anyone-else best friends. As in, we-still-talk-on-the-phone-twice-a-week best friends. Going to rival schools 700 miles apart hasn't faded their friendship.

"We talk the Friday before games, and then talk on the Sunday after to see how it went," said Kessler, now the Trojans' starting quarterback. "If he's playing on a Thursday, or if it's a bye week, I watch their games and I root for him the whole time."

It's easy for the two to lose sight of the fact that they play for two competing teams in the Pac-12 South Division. Of course, that flies out the window this week, as the No. 19 Utes and the No. 20 Trojans tee off at Rice-Eccles Stadium in a game that gives the winner a big leg up in the race to a berth in the conference championship game.

As it happens, the former high school teammates each lead their respective sides of the ball. Kessler has thrown 18 touchdowns for the South Division-leading Trojans, while Norris has a team-high 58 tackles with 9.5 of those for a loss.

The two sparring is nothing new, former high school coach Brian Nixon said. Norris and Kessler were inseparable off the field, but on it, during practice, it was hard to tell sometimes if they were friends at all.

"Those two battled daily," Nixon said. "Those guys were talking trash the whole time, they were at each other the whole time. It doesn't matter if it was dodgeball, ping-pong or football — they wanted to win."

Norris and Kessler did win together: In their junior and senior years, they won a combined 19 games. Nixon remembers both setting the bar with their work ethic: "No one worked harder than those guys."

It led to their respective college opportunities, which couldn't have been more different. Norris was a longtime Ute commit who weathered offers from other schools. On the day Kessler was to commit to Washington, USC scooped him up with an offer almost literally at the last minute.

Their paths, temporarily, led to the same place during their freshman years: the bench. For two guys that were playing varsity since they were high school sophomores, it was a frustrating process.

"We talked all the time, trying to help each other through it," Kessler said. "We told each other, 'Hey, we're going to have to work for this.'"

That plan worked out, but sent the two on a collision course for this weekend. They played last year, a game USC won 19-3, but the stakes are even higher this weekend with each team at only one conference loss. Kessler has been watching film and finds himself caught between being happy for his old teammate and being a little intimidated.

"It's going to be really tough," he said. "He's a really good player, really fast, and never seems to get tired. I would say that even if he wasn't my friend." —

Norris and Kessler: Rivals and best friends

About Jared Norris

• Leads Utah in tackles (58) and second in TFL (9.5)

• Three-year starter at Centennial High (California), captain

• All-area Defensive Player of the year as a high school senior

About Cody Kessler

• Fourth in Pac-12 at pass efficiency (162.1) with 18 TDs and one pick

• Passed for 2,831 yards and 36 touchdowns against two interceptions as a high school senior

• Army All-American and Rivals 100 prospect as a senior —

No. 20 USC at No. 19 Utah

O Saturday, 8 p.m.

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