Bowl brings brothers together ... as opponents

• The Norman family will come together at the Music City Bowl as brothers Warren and Art face off

Esther Norman is in the unique position of knowing for certain that her son will win the Music City Bowl.

She also knows her son will lose it.

Vanderbilt junior running back Warren Norman and North Carolina State sophomore defensive end Art Norman, separated by 20 months, will be on opposing sidelines on Dec. 31 at LP Field.

"I don't like it because we're going to have a loser in the family," Esther said from the Norman home in Stone Mountain, Ga., near Atlanta. "It's going to be hard. Oh my God, I can't wait to get it over. I'm stressing about it. There's going to be a loser and I just hope they take it OK.

"With them at the same bowl, we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. But they better not kill each other. They better not disrespect each other when one loses. They're still brothers, regardless."

Respect shouldn't be a problem. Warren (5-10, 205) and Art (6-1, 242) have nothing but love and praise for one another.

But that doesn't mean Christmas at the Normans will be business as usual. The brothers confessed the vibe could get a little strange when the family gathers this year.

"I don't think it's going to be as weird as people think, but it will be a little weird," said Art, who leads the Wolfpack with 12.5 sacks over the last two seasons as a part-time starter. "How many times does something like this happen? Our parents are pretty geeked up about it."

"We've been talking about it ever since (Nov. 10) when we both knew we were going to bowls, so we weren't too shocked because we knew this was a possibility," said Warren, the 2009 SEC freshman of the year who now serves as the fourth-string tailback and a kickoff returner. "But to see it out there is kind of neat. It's a cool thing."

The game has served as the chief talking point for Esther and her husband, Warren Sr., everywhere they go. Family and friends have called and texted. Co-workers have eagerly broached the topic.

"The guys at work just laugh and laugh at me," Esther said.

Getting to college

It wasn't so long ago that the brothers were Chamblee High teammates. In 2007, they led their school to the state semifinals at the Georgia Dome.

Warren was a junior with 1,500 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and recruiting letters arriving daily in the mail that season. Art was a sophomore who preferred basketball but had begun to realize there was the potential to play college football.

"My brother could have gone anywhere wanted to," Art said. "He chose Vanderbilt. I feel like N.C. State chose me. I didn't have as many offers as Warren. I was looking at Division I-AA and Ivy League schools, but I didn't really want to go up north. N.C. State took a chance on me.

"Vanderbilt wasn't in the picture for me. I went to camp there, but I didn't really want to go to there because I didn't want to be known as Warren's little brother. I wanted to branch out. When I was in middle school, I was Warren's little brother. When I was in high school, I was Warren's little brother. That was the goal — to be my own man."

Warren Sr. said his sons have squared off once before in a youth-league contest when Warren was 13 and Art was 12. Warren, who was already a standout running back, won that day.

"When it comes to video games and football, Warren is the greater competitor," noted Warren Sr., a former defensive end at Virginia Union. "When it comes to anything else, it's Art."

The brothers speak weekly and even shared observations on common opponents (Tennessee and Wake Forest) during the season. They plan to drive to Nashville together after Christmas break to meet with their teams. They are likely to hang out when they cross paths at player functions in the days leading up to the bowl.

But the tone will change when New Year's Eve arrives, particularly if the situation calls for Art to tackle Warren (21 carries, 75 yards in 2012; 1,317 career rushing yards).

"He's going to do his thing, I'm going to do my thing and we'll hug it up after the game," Warren said. "But between the lines it's a football game, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get our football teams a win."

No one will be watching more intently than Esther, who promises to have two different views. She will wear a Vanderbilt No. 5 jersey for one half while sitting on the Commodores' side of the field. She will wear an N.C. State No. 95 jersey for the other half while switching to the Wolfpack's side of the field.

Warren Sr. chuckled at his wife's plan and said he would manage to watch from just one seat and in just one set of clothes.

"I guess I have to change shirts at halftime," Esther said. "I want to give both of them equal time. I want to represent both of my boys."

Jeff Lockridge also writes for The (Nashville) Tennessean