Quinn Ewers vs. Cade Klubnik: The story behind QBs' epic 2021 showdown

Riley Dodge understands why everybody is talking about this story, because he is, too.

In January 2021, Texas high school football powerhouses Southlake Carroll and Austin Westlake met on the biggest stage: the 6A state championship game at AT&T Stadium outside of Dallas. It was a high profile affair for a number of reasons, one being the game was nicknamed the "Dodge Bowl," marking the first-ever father-son matchup in Texas state championship history. Riley, the coach at Southlake, was facing his father Todd, the coach at Westlake.

The other major reason? The game was projected to be a shootout between two elite junior quarterbacks named Quinn Ewers and Cade Klubnik.

Ewers was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country and had already committed to Ohio State; Klubnik was the No. 2 quarterback in the state and was uncommitted at the time. The two knew each other, having played in 7-on-7 tournaments around the state since middle school. Klubnik had the edge and led Westlake to a 52-34 victory — he'd win three state titles from 2019-21, the latter two as the starter.

On Saturday, the quarterbacks meet again — and in the same state as their last clash — when No. 5 seed Texas (led by Ewers) hosts No. 12 seed Clemson (led by Klubnik) in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

And this time, the stakes are a bit higher than they were nearly four years ago.

"It's crazy," Riley Dodge told FOX Sports. "I think both of them are so mature and wise beyond their years and I think they understand it's not about Cade and Quinn, but Quinn going against Clemson's defense and Cade going against Texas' defense.

"I think it's a natural thing that everybody wants to talk about. I'm intrigued by it as well. But they've both got a job