"It adds up to being one of the better fan games in Commonwealth (Stadium) history," said Kentucky coach Rich Brooks. "You are going to see two of the best college quarterbacks in the nation and you are looking at two future NFL quarterbacks that are home-grown.
"It's very significant to have two players from same state that are not that far apart geographically (35 miles) on the national scene as prominent as those two. It speaks volumes about high school football in Kentucky."
Brohm no surprise to Woodson
Brohm's success has been no surprise to Woodson. When Brohm was becoming a household name during his stellar prep career at Louisville Trinity, he played against Woodson and North Hardin twice. Each time Trinity won.
"It was the first game of the season each time," Woodson laughed and said. "We never played in a 7-on-7 game in the summer.
"In football, they beat us every time we played, including one year when Brian wasn't playing yet. But we played basketball against each other every year, too. In basketball, we won every time. They were the power school in football, we were the power school in basketball. I definitely owe him in football. It's time for me to get a victory."
None of Brohm's phenomenal success has surprised Woodson. He knew all about Brohm's family football tradition and knew he was a much more polished quarterback in high school than he was.
"Obviously he has always had the football background. I was pretty sure he would be a big-time player," Woodson said. "He performed very well in high school and you could just tell he was good.
"I was more a player who still needed to be groomed. I didn't have any real understanding of how to be a quarterback. I was just going out there and performing off raw ability. You could see the difference between us. He was just a lot better. He has still come a long way and is still getting better. I do enjoy watching him on TV now. But it's no surprise he has turned out to be a great quarterback."
So has Woodson. He has thrown for 6,119 yards and 44 touchdowns. He has thrown 213 consecutive passes without an interception - one behind the Southeastern Conference record held by David Green of Georgia.
Brohm has thrown for 7,527 yards and 50 touchdowns. His 86.9 winning percentage (20-3) is the best in school history.
Those numbers have let Brohm make Louisville a fixture in the top 10 as well as a BCS winner, and let Woodson lead UK to a winning season and a bowl victory.
Kentucky high school football on the upswing
Their performances have had to inspire more in-state players to dream, and believe, that they can also succeed in college.
"I think the state of Kentucky high school football has really picked up in the last few years. There are a lot of guys coming out as big-time players. The real reason is 7-on-7 and winter conditioning programs," Brohm said.
Really? Don't you think what you and Woodson have done might have made a difference, too?
"Maybe. It just shows you can do it if you are from this state and no matter where you are from, if you work hard you can be a good player," Brohm said. "If you believe it, you can do it.
"Hopefully we can inspire guys from this state that just think about playing basketball and could be better football players to also play football like we both did. Now I think this state is more focused on football than just basketball."
It certainly is this week. Past games have had the hype and anticipation, but this game seems to have fans even more excited. So are the players.
Woodson and Brohm went their separate ways after high school.
"I never really have an opportunity to talk to him now. That is really kind of unfortunate," Woodson said. "We have played against each other for seven or eight years. It's wild to even think about that.
"This game is going to be so much fun. But it's about time I got to be the winning quarterback against him and that would make the game even more fun."
