QBs Ben, Frye are two guys with ties

The 106th meeting has an interesting scenario at the quarterback position.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- They grew up just 50 miles apart, separated by a stretch of road in rural Ohio. They played college football in the same conference, facing each other three times. Friends off the field, they're fierce rivals on it.
Today, Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Frye will square off again, this time as paid professionals.
"They've been hyping us up since we were freshmen in college, playing against each other," said Frye, the Browns' poised rookie. "It's pretty cool. He's with Pittsburgh now. I'm with Cleveland."
And by the looks of things, it could be that way for a long time.
Roethlisberger, one year removed from a magical NFL baptism, will lead the Steelers (9-5) into a must-win matchup on Christmas Eve against the Browns (5-9), who would like nothing more than to wreck Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.
Long-term answer?
To do that, they'll likely need a big performance from Frye, their third-round draft pick from Akron who, since taking over from Trent Dilfer, has shown promising signs of becoming Cleveland's long-term answer at QB.
Frye has gotten better in each of his three starts. Not blessed with a strong arm like Roethlisberger's, he has still managed to make several big throws. He also has a knack for stepping away from pressure.
Last week in Oakland, Frye withstood several hard shots from blitzing Raiders and led the Browns to a 9-7 victory, his first as a starter.
"I've been very impressed," said Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "No. 1, I think he throws the ball accurately. You obviously notice his athletic ability and his ability to get out of the pocket and still be able to look down the field.
"He's making a number of throws on the run that are very impressive. He gives them a dimension of athleticism that you have to account for, and it's something that we're certainly talking about all week."
Dominates talk
The Frye vs. Roethlisberger matchup has dominated the pregame talk before the 106th game between the Browns and Steelers.
The two young quarterbacks first squared off as freshmen early in the 2001 Mid-American Conference season.
Trailing Roethlisberger and Miami (Ohio) 24-6 at halftime, Frye rallied Akron by throwing two touchdown passes in the second half and leading the Zips to a go-ahead field goal with 9 seconds left.
But Roethlisberger completed a desperation, 70-yard heave on the game's final play to give Miami a stunning 27-24 win, a bitter loss that still leaves Frye shaking his head four years later.
Roethlisberger won two more shootouts against Frye before leaving school after his junior year. He was drafted 11th overall by the Steelers, who couldn't have expected he would blossom so quickly.
Frye nearly bolted for the pros, too, following a coaching change at Akron, but returned for his senior season with the Zips.
And as he was winging his way through the MAC a year ago, Roethlisberger went 14-0 as a rookie starter, leading the Steelers to the AFC championship game.
Compliment
"That's something special," said Frye, from Willard, Ohio. "I don't know if it surprised me, but it doesn't happen very often. He did a great job last year and it has continued into this year."
Roethlisberger, 23, sat out Pittsburgh's 34-21 win over Cleveland on Nov. 13 with a knee injury. But now that he's healthy, the Steelers seem to have recovered from a midseason stumble, too. They've beaten playoff-bound Chicago and won at Minnesota the past two weeks with Steelers staples: a punishing running game and defense.
The Steelers will probably throw every possible "Blitzburgh" scheme at Frye, who is already nursing sore ribs.
"People put the quarterback versus the quarterback," said Frye, downplaying his matchup with Roethlisberger.
The two quarterbacks (Roethlisberger is seven months younger), have remained friendly in recent years. It's not like they're real close, but their relationship is about to face the ultimate test: Browns vs. Steelers.
"We've talked a couple times [in 2005], but it's hard to say that we're the best of friends and we talk every day," Roethlisberger said. "I don't hate him because he's on the Browns."