Base Offense: Furman will spread the field a bit and give you some different option plays. They're clearly a run-first team. They ran the ball last week 45 times to 18 pass attempts. Most passing plays they use will be screens, slants, and bootleg pass / run options.
Season Thus Far: The Paladins exploded on offense in their opening matchup against Colgate. They scored 45 and ran the ball for 377 yards and threw for 159 for a total of 536.
Quarterbacks: Furman played two quarterbacks last week, Chris Forcier and Chris Worley. Forcier (brother of Michigan QB Tate Forcier) started but was pulled for a while after fumbling in the second quarter. Worley then came in and promptly made some big passes to help Furman pull away. From appearances, it seems that Forcier--a former backup at UCLA who transferred after the Bruins tried to move him to receiver; think Logan Gray--is the more athletic of the two, and he had a big 85 yard run against Colgate. Worley appears to be the better passer. I would expect to see both in the game as the Paladins try to find a way to score.
Runningbacks: Furman's leading rusher last week was Forcier, but also having a big game was star tailback Tersoo Uhaa. Uhaa is a small back, but he can run and catch the ball very well. Furman will also spread the ball around to some others guys, as well.
Wide Receivers: Furman won't throw much in this game, but when they do, they like to go to Adam Mimms. Expect to see them try to get him the ball at times on quick screens and slants; they don't like to go long too often.
Offensive Line: If you take a moment and watch the video below, you'll see that Furman has a disciplined offensive line that makes plays happen for its offense. As with their defensive line, though, these guys would be too small to play in the SEC.
Analysis: Furman has a well-coached, productive offensive unit, as their numbers from last game suggest, and they'll be able to move the ball if we're not careful. We'll probably focus on the running game, as Furman doesn't seem like a team that's going to do too much to hurt us throwing the ball. The key here will be to stay in position and tackle. We should be able to do the first pretty well as long as we play disciplined and don't overpursue. Expect Ellis Johnson not to blitz too much and to emphasize not doing anything stupid. Secondly, it's a tackling game. We should have the horses to manhandle these guys up front and make plays, but if you don't tackle, these guys can make you pay.