Furman leads the Southern Conference in pass defense by more than 50 yards a game. However, the Paladins are last in the league in rushing defense by nearly 35 yards a game.
There's an easy explanation for that, Furman coach Bobby Lamb said.
"The stats are a little bit skewed, obviously, probably both ways," he said during Tuesday's SoCon teleconference. "We're up there on the pass end of it because we've played three option teams, and we're on the bottom end of [the rushing stats] because we've played three option teams."
In its past four games, No. 25 Furman (4-2, 2-1) has faced option teams The Citadel, Wofford and Howard back to back to back. And last week in the Paladins' 27-10 win at Samford, the Bulldogs rushed for 248 yards and threw for 100.
Lamb is expecting his secondary to face its toughest test thus far - aside from the South Carolina game - Saturday when the Paladins host the No. 24-ranked University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Mocs (4-2, 3-1) are averaging 241.3 yards a game through the air and have one of the SoCon's top passers in B.J. Coleman, as well as an explosive receiving corps led by Joel Bradford. The fact that UTC has rushed for a combined 417 yards in its past two games makes the passing game even more effective.
"I think they've gained some confidence running the ball, and that makes them a very dangerous offensive team because they have a great quarterback in B.J. Coleman and now they can throw the ball and run the ball," Lamb said. "Any time you can be balanced, it doesn't bode well for the defense."
The Paladins have faced just 100 passes all season and are allowing 101.2 passing yards a game. The most passes they've seen in a game is 25, by South Carolina. Coleman has completed 102 of 168 passes for 1,439 yards, with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
"I haven't watched a lick of the Wofford game or The Citadel just because of the simple fact that they don't line up in the sets that we do," Coleman said. "It's a process and it's still early enough that they only have a couple of games on film and a certain amount of snaps against formations that we produce."
Furman's defense might not have had to defend the pass too often, but it has answered the call when challenged. The Paladins are third in the SoCon with nine interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns.
Cornerback Ryan Steed was named the SoCon defensive player of the week Monday making 10 tackles and returning an interception 57 yards against Samford last week.