543 One-Armed Pushups Are a Lion’s Share of the Work

Four players scored two touchdowns each, Penn State scored its most points since 1926, and the 706 total yards set a school record, but the most impressive Nittany Lion in their 81-0 rout of Cincinnati Saturday was Tim Durant, the Nittany Lion mascot.

The tradition is for the mascot to do cumulative pushups on the sidelines after every Penn State point--seven for the first touchdown and extra point, 14 for the second and so on--resulted in him doing 543 pushups.

That’s 543 one-armed pushups in the 90-degree heat and humidity of Happy Valley.

All this while wearing a lion’s suit.

Durant’s legs started cramping toward the end, but the closest he came to faltering was after the next-to-last touchdown, when he did 70 on his left arm and had to switch to the right for the final four.

Lee Giannone, Penn State’s cheerleadering director, said: “I tried to monitor his health status the whole game. It was so hot, and he was obviously doing a lot of work. Not only the pushups . . . but also moving around the stands and sidelines. That outfit he wears is like a full-length winter coat with a head.

“People were saying, ‘Is he OK, is he OK?’ . . . Sure, people were concerned. They were sweating just watching the game.”

Added Giannone: “I think he was probably thinking, ‘Let’s go, clock!’ ”

Add Nittany Lion: Durant, who will accompany Penn State to Los Angeles for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against USC at the Coliseum, is a former wrestler who trains for his new role by doing several hundred one-armed pushups a day.

Trivia time: Which current NBA assistant coach holds the American Basketball Assn. records for free-throw percentage, free throws made and free throws attempted?

Cashen in: The New York Mets are left to wonder what condition Dwight Gooden’s arm is in after surgery to remove torn cartilage and repair a partial rotator cuff tear. There’s no doubt, however, about the shape of Gooden’s bank account, with $15.45 million coming in over three years, starting in 1992.

“I’ve pointed to all the long-term contracts over the years and said, ‘Look at those, look how stupid they are,’ ” Met General Manager Frank Cashen said. “Well, I’m as guilty as everyone else. I’m just as stupid.”

Good and bad: The Mets put out a press release that said chances were “favorable” Gooden would be almost back to normal by training camp in February, but not everyone is convinced.

“Whose word was favorable ?” asked a team official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I don’t know how favorable this can be.”

Capital idea: Ronn Owens of KGO radio in Northern California, noting that the Raiders still have a strong following in the Bay Area, suggests the team’s uniforms should read: oakLAnd.

Trivia answer: Mack Calvin.

Quotebook: Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Evening Sun: “On ‘Monday Night Football,’ Dan Dierdorf said, ‘I’ll tell you one thing . . . ‘ And listeners across the land muttered to themselves, ‘Fat chance.’ ”