Utah quarterback Brian Johnson and BYU wide receiver Michael Reed have a lot in common. The cousins call Baytown, Texas, home and were teammates at Robert E. Lee High School.

As college rivals, they share something else — the No. 3. Both wear it proudly.

"I really like the number," Reed said before making reference to Johnson. "I wanted to show him who's the better No. 3 in the state of Utah.

"No, that was a joke," he added. "I looked up to Keyshawn Johnson when he wore the number at USC. And there are cousins of mine who played college football who wore the No. 3. It was important to them, and to me, to wear No. 3."

Johnson, who pointed out that Reed wore the "hideous" No. 89 in high school, wears it for a different reason.

"I want to be like Jeff George," he joked.

Truth is, Johnson didn't have a lot of options when he arrived at Utah. The only choices were Nos. 3 or 15. After wearing No. 1 as a sophomore at Crosby High in Texas and No. 2 after transferring to Baytown Lee, Johnson figured he might as well go 1-2-3 and chose the latter. To keep the numerical sequence going, he plans to wear No. 4 at the next level.

As for Reed wearing No. 3, Johnson thinks his cousin might just be copying him: "Trying to steal the number off me."

Johnson also had a rebuttal for Reed's in-state claim.

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"He can be the best No. 3," Johnson said with a smile. "But I want to be the No. 3 who wins the most in the state of Utah."

Despite playing for rival schools, Reed and Johnson keep in touch.

"Every once in a while, when we get the chance, he'll shoot me out a text (message) or call me," Reed said. "We really don't get an opportunity to hang out as much as we would like because he's always busy and we're always busy.

"We tend to get on the phone, especially during the week that we're playing each other, and talk," Reed continued. "It's real nice."

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