49ers Are Throwbacks by Throwing Less Often EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - In a let-it-fly age when N.F.L. teams tend to rely on strong-armed quarterbacks and playmakers who can change the complexion of a game with one touch, the 49ers" offense begins with a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust philosophy and takes that to another level. San Francisco averages 6.1 yards per carry entering Sunday's game against a Giants team that has not forgotten how punishing the 49ers" old-school ground game can be. The Giants eked out a 20-17 overtime victory in last January's N.F.C. championship game at Candlestick Park despite surrendering 150 rushing yards. "In this day and age, yeah, they're a little bit different," Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. They're a throwback. You've got to hold your ground. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 6.1-yard average through the first five games is the 49ers" highest since the team ran at a 6.4-yard clip in 1954. In winning for the fourth time in five games with last Sunday's 45-3 pummeling of the Bills, the 49ers" balance was as remarkable as their output: 311 yards rushing, 310 yards passing. They became the first N.F.L. team to surpass 300 yards running and passing in the same game. The 621 net yards established a single-game team record. The 311 yards on the ground were the most by an N.F.L. team since the Raiders piled up 328 at Denver on Oct. 24, 2010. The huge numbers stemming from a smashmouth approach are in keeping with the vision that Jim Harbaugh brought with him when he left Stanford to coach the 49ers before last season. The hard-charging 49ers responded with their first N.F.C. West title since 2002 and show no signs of slowing down. "Since Jim has been there, their calling card is the running game, and they do a good job with it," Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. According to Perry Fewell, Coughlin's defensive coordinator, San Francisco's attack has grown harder to handle since the teams last met because new wrinkles were added to the scheme. Fewell said preparing for the 49ers was "very different" from getting ready to face any other team. "They present you with a lot of different runs, a lot of different looks and schemes, a lot of different personnel groups and formations," he said. They are a little unique in what they do. It only adds to the concerns of the defending Super Bowl champions that they have not stood tall against the run during their uneven 3-2 start. They rank 16th in allowing 111.4 rushing yards per game. The Eagles amassed 191 rushing yards when beating the Giants, 19-17, on Sept. Although the Giants rebounded to defeat Cleveland, 41-27, last Sunday, the promising Browns rookie Trent Richardson rattled off 4.8 yards per carry. "It's just one little thing every time," linebacker Chase Blackburn said. We've had missed tackles, guys out of position. We've had bounce-out runs with guys getting into trouble by trying to make plays that were not theirs to make. The 49ers lead the league with 34 runs that have generated 10 yards or more. Their primary back, Frank Gore, can pound the ball between the tackles but has the speed to beat defenders to the edge. Gore stands as the team's career leading rusher (8,057 yards) and ranks seventh in the N.F.L. with 432 rushing yards this season. Kiwanuka says the Giants must be more disciplined because San Francisco has a knack for turning what should be modest gains into much more. "If you are supposed to be in a certain position and maintain certain leverage, you have to make sure you are there and not going outside your job," he said. Although a furious pass rush sparked the Super Bowl run, the defense has yet to replicate that, recording only eight sacks this season. Fewell connected that shortcoming to his unit's difficulty in stopping the run on first and second down, allowing opposing offenses to avoid obvious passing situations. "We have to make the game more one-dimensional," Fewell said. We can't allow people to run the football and dictate what they want to do to us.