By MONTE DUTTON

Say what you will about Mason Pline, but he can pick ‘em, and not just by leaping up to snag passes from Tyler Huff and Carson Jones.

The outsized tight end, all 6-7 and 260 pounds of him, already played for two Division II national champions at Ferris (Mich.) State. He chose Furman for a graduate-transfer season. With a week remaining in the regular season, the Paladins are ranked No. 2 in FCS.

It’s a rather unique story.

For instance, how did a 6-7 tight end wind up at Ferris State? Because he went there to play basketball. Pline played three years of basketball and switched to football for two. By joining Furman’s masters program in strategic design, he’s honing his football skills. He caught four passes for 40 yards in Saturday’s 37-3 thumping of VMI.

Woodbridge N. Ferris, founder of Ferris State, had nothing to do with the Ferris Wheel, which was the brainchild of George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., who built one in Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

But enough of this Ferris trivia.

Ferris State is a triple-option team. Pline, who is from Fowler, Mich., wanted to diversify.

“[Offensive coordinator] Justin Roper and [tight ends/recruiting coordinator] Nick Verna won me over,” he said. “The role they saw for me in the offense was nothing but a good influence.”

Evidence suggests they didn’t steer him wrong.

On both sides of the ball, Furman has as much depth as the Marianas Trench. Huff and Jones have completed passes to 18 receivers. Seven have caught 14 or more. Pline has 21 receptions, tied with Kyndel Dean for fourth on the team. Pline and Luke Shiflett each have a team-high three touchdown catches.

Twelve Paladins have run the ball, five for more than 100 yards.

Furman’s slogan could be “share and share alike.” Any more line changes and they’d be playing ice hockey. Success is a powerful source of teamwork. Everyone plays together because everyone plays.

This culture of teamwork gives Furman (9-1, 7-0 SoCon) new worlds to conquer every week. A victory over Wofford (1-9, 1-6) on Saturday in Spartanburg gives the Paladins a school-record 14 straight SoCon victories over two seasons and the second 10-win regular season in school history. No Paladin squad has ever gone 8-0 in the SoCon.

“The first half (versus VMI) was as complete a half as we’ve played all year,” said head coach Clay Hendrix. “I thought we would play well. VMI gave us a lot of looks. The staff prepared them well.

“We played a little freer and really cut it loose.”

The halftime score was 34-0. VMI’s lone score was a pittance that occurred with 2:04 to go.

Wofford, meanwhile, was learning how to win by defeating The Citadel, which hasn’t, 11-3. Those two schools are Furman’s fiercest rivals, most seasons, anyway. This year they were supplanted by Mercer, Samford, Western Carolina and Chattanooga. Only Mercer visited Paladin Stadium. The average margin of victory in those four games was 8.7 points. The games were tough, but the Paladins were tougher.

Huff, expected to be back for the FCS playoffs, injured his throwing shoulder early in the Chattanooga game. When Jones came off the bench, a star was born.

“These guys are really bright,” Hendrix said. “You don’t have to spell it out for them.”

It’s hard to find a team built this way. A few transfer out. A few transfer in. They stay. They get better and more cohesive. They like where they are. The starting offense has nine in their final season of eligibility, backed up by nine who are returning. The defense has six set to move on backed up by five returning, but it’s hard to differentiate starters from backups because they all play about the same.

It’s going to be hard to replace 14 graduates and 19 seniors, but a plan is in place. Furman isn’t a heavy dabbler in the transfer auctions. It’s not the nature of the school.

Hendrix, of course, famously knows the school. He won 39 as a player, 155 as an assistant coach and Saturday marked his 50^th as head coach. He’s been a part of 11 out of Furman’s 15 SoCon titles.

“We want to play older players,” he said. “We’re always going to be a development program. It’s our nature. It’s the nature of our school.”

They do it the old-fashioned way. They earn it.

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