Union football looking to bounce back in home opener

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Union football team is getting set for its home opener Saturday. The Garnet Chargers will welcome in SUNY Maritime, and it'll be a test to see how the team responds from a disappointing season opener.

Union fell 41-26 at Utica Friday in what was the program's first season-opening loss since 2017. That was a talented Pioneers team, though, that went 9-2 a year ago.

Facing a squad of that caliber allowed first-year head coach Jon Drach to learn something about his team.

"My biggest takeaway was that we fought our butts off all the way 'til the end," said Drach. "We have a lot of really tough kids that care a lot about football, this team, this university and are going to do everything they possibly can to not have that outcome this weekend."

Union was right in the game into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Patch Flanagan linked up with Tommy Leonard for a six-yard touchdown strike, bringing the Garnet Chargers within striking distance at 32-26 will still 12:41 to play. But Utica managed to close the game on a 9-0 run.

"Defensively, we have to be able to fix some things in the run [game] a little bit better than we did," said Drach. "And then get people off the field on third down. On the flip side of that, we gotta be able to stay on the field on third down on offense, and maintain the time of possession; control the game a little bit more than we did."

Utica outgained Union 253-112 on the ground, and drastically outperformed the Garnet Chargers on third down, converting 11 of its 19 attempts, while Union went just 2-9.

But the team is shifting their focus to bouncing back against SUNY Maritime, and Drach believes Friday's performance, albeit disappointing, was important for the maturation of his squad moving forward.

"The biggest jump is generally going to happen from Week 1 to Week 2. A lot of opportunities to learn, and for our young players, that was their first real live action. Now, they kinda know what to expect. As we move into this week, hopefully they're a little more comfortable in their assignments and their roles, and we're able to execute at a little higher level."

Opening kickoff Saturday from Frank Bailey Field is set for 4 p.m.