The Union County ground game churned out lots of yardage and chewed up lots of clock.
The Braves ran for 356 yards Friday night while dealing Caldwell County a 46-22 setback at Tiger Stadium in Princeton.
Union (2-1) totaled 426 yards in the contest, but it was another stat that may have been more impressive.
Time of possession showed the Braves with the ball for 36:33 while Caldwell had the ball for just 11:27.
It may have felt even worse for Caldwell in the second half, as Union turned a 27-14 halftime lead into a 46-14 advantage before the Tigers added a late score.
Caldwell (2-1) hit some big plays early in the contest and was tied 14-14 after one quarter.
Daelyn Lander threw two TD passes in the opening frame — a 33-yarder over the middle to Drew Stevens and a 60-yard bomb down the right sideline to Kam Wilson.
However, Abe Fletcher ran 22 yards for a score to tie the game 7-7. He then returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown to put Union up 14-7 before Caldwell came back to tie it.
It was part of a big night for the Union senior, who accounted for five touchdowns and 218 yards rushing, along with three receptions for 47 yards.
The Braves owned the second period to grab the lead for good.
Willem McPeake went 40 yards on a touchdown run. Max Nobles hit Fletcher with a 36-yard scoring pass on fourth down with just 32 seconds left in the half as Union got to the break with a 27-14 lead.
The Braves continued to bogart the ball in the third quarter.
Fletcher had runs of 17 and 18 yards for touchdowns as Union extended the margin to 39-14.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from Nobles to Gavyn Black put the icing on the cake for the visitors, who went up 46-14.
Caldwell put together a quick drive late and got in the end zone on a 7-yard run by Jack Roach.
The Tigers finished the night with 99 yards rushing and 266 total yards.
Wilson had a big game for Caldwell, rushing for 62 yards on just three carries. He also caught three passes for 108 yards and had a team-leading 17 tackles on defense.
Lander finished 8 of 23 passing for 167 yards. He had the two TD passes but was also picked off twice.
Carter Bedell and Jack Roach each recorded 13 tackles for Caldwell while Colson Mattocks had 11 stops.
For Union, McPeake ran for 153 yards.
Nobles was 5 of 12 passing for 70 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Caldwell will head to Webster County next week.
Union will play at Graves County.
