Mark, I’m not sure your recollection of our conversation after the editorial meeting is entirely accurate, but it does remind me of that time I asked you, “Mark, how does the Oklahoma defense look this year?” and you said, “The what?”

“The defense?” I asked. “You know, D-E-F-E-N-S-E.”

If my recollection is correct, you looked at me in blank incomprehension and changed the subject.

Well, this year it looks as though you’ve finally been introduced to the basic concept of defense, which involves one team denying points to the other, primarily, if not exclusively, through the act of tackling. Congratulations!

Since, as you correctly point out, football is not the University of Virginia’s core competency, I have some other loose college-football affiliations. One of them is, indeed, Texas. I’m an old Houston Oilers fan and, of course, we had a Texas connection through the sainted Earl Campbell.

This video is probably accurate in calling this the most impressive 16-yard run in NFL history, by the way:

And the Oilers/Titans connection was continued, in a less exalted fashion, via Vince Young, the hero of the greatest college football game ever played.

My minor sports-memorabilia collection includes a signed photo of his iconic winning run against USC in the Rose Bowl.

So, I can’t claim any great “Hook ’Em” lineage, but, yes, I’ll be rooting for Texas today, and if the game goes the wrong way — and if we get to $75,000 as part of our webathon! — I’m happy to go along with your degrading terms.