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SAN DIEGO — The Barton brothers' days of suiting up and playing football together as teammates will come to an end Monday at the Holiday Bowl.
“It’s gone fast, to say that," said linebacker Cody Barton, about 24 hours before kickoff. "It’s weird to say that we are both seniors, and going out together. It’s a special experience that not a lot of guys get to experience, and I’m excited."
Both linebacker Cody and offensive lineman Jackson are seniors and will suit up for the final time as Utah teammates Monday against No. 22 Northwestern (5 p.m. MST, FS1).
"We grew up very close together, so it’s very cool to be on the football team as well. It's been a really fun experience," said Jackson, who is one year older than Cody.
Growing up they had many backyard battles in more than just football.
"We were always wrestling each other all the time," the older brother said.
When asked who won those wrestling matches, the younger Cody flexed his muscles and said, "Who do you think won!?" To which Jackson replied, "Put those arms down before you hurt yourself."
Jackson and Cody come from deep Utah ties. Their father Paul played football and baseball for the Utes, their mother Mikki played basketball and volleyball at Utah, and younger sister Dani is currently with the Utah volleyball team.
"Since we were little boys, we wanted to play at Utah," Cody said with a huge smile. "I’d paint myself red-and-white. It’s been a dream of ours to be Utah boys our whole lives."
The emotion will be real when the final horn sounds at the end of the game on Monday.
"Well, he'll be crying. I know that, and I'll probably be laughing and give him a hug," Cody said jokingly.
To which Jackson replied: "He cries too; he's just not strong enough to admit it."
Jackson summed up what the final 24 hours will be like for the Barton brothers in their Utah swan song.
"It’s going to be a lot of emotions afterwards," he said. "I'm grateful to play with my brother one last time."
