Can the West Virginia Mountaineer top 385 pushups?

AUSTIN, Texas -- Lost in the hoopla surrounding West Virginia's 70-point effort last week against Baylor was the adverse effect all those points had on one member of the Mountaineers' community in his first year on the job.

That man is Jonathan Kimble, who is in his first season as the school's hard-to-miss mascot, the Mountaineer. Decked out in a buckskin suit and coonskin hat, Kimble said he confronted two specific issues during last week's dizzying 70-63 victory over Baylor.

Because he performs one pushup for every point on the scoreboard – and he does it every time West Virginia scores – he said that meant 385 pushups.

"Hard counting that high doing all those push ups!" Kimble joked while standing on the field before West Virginia played Texas on Saturday.

The other problem involved his period rifle, which Kimble fires into the air every time West Virginia scores.

"I almost ran out of gunpowder," he said. "I had maybe six shots left. Here in Texas, I can't bring any with me. I can't bring it on the airlines. This is a real firearm. Took it bear hunting the other week with me."

Kimble, a graduate student majoring in industrial relations, said he has gotten plenty of attention recently, including having a role in an ESPN commercial with analyst Lee Corso.

And he is energized for another pushup-centric workout tonight. He had a strong mid-week workout to prime himself for quarterback Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense racking up close to 10 touchdowns again.

"I am looking forward to doing that many pushups again,"he said. "I am thinking 56 points. Texas may take some time off the clock. If they have the ball, we can't score."