Moon Knight S1 Ep 6: Gods and Monsters

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

Moon Knight S1 Ep 6: Gods and Monsters

from ready steady cut: https://readysteadycut.com/2022/05/04/moon-knight-season-1-episode-6-recap-the-ending-explained/

May 4, 2022

Jonathon Wilson

The first season finale of Moon Knight — which Disney+ have curiously refused to title — opens with Harrow’s men pulling the corpse of Marc/Steven out of the putrid tomb water. He’s still very much dead. Harrow takes Ammit’s ushabti from the body and leaves the golden scarab behind in a gesture conveniently useful to the plot. Ammit’s ushabti upgrades Harrow’s cane, giving it a +1 to “ominous purple glow” and a snapping crocodile head for style points. Layla watches from nearby until everyone leaves, swipes the scarab, and escapes, disguised among Harrow’s entourage.

Moon Knight season 1, episode 6 recap

That entourage is stopped by an Egyptian border patrol, mostly so we can get a sense of Harrow’s upgrades. Tapping the base of the cane on the ground now lifts the souls from the unworthy in a flash of purple light. Almost all the guards are killed on the spot, and the lone survivor is folded into Harrow’s cult. Layla attempts to sneak behind Harrow and kill him, but Taweret, talking to her through the corpses, warns her that Harrow is now too powerful. Their only option is to free Khonshu by breaking his ushabti in the Chamber of the Gods and reviving Marc/Steven. Taweret also floats the possibility of Layla becoming her Avatar, but having seen what that responsibility has done to her husband, she isn’t keen on the idea.

Luckily, Harrow and his followers are heading for the Chamber of the Gods anyway. With another tap of his cane, Harrow is able to wipe out all the pantheon’s human avatars. When he breaks Ammit’s ushabti, she emerges, a giant CGI crocodile lady who wants Harrow as her Avatar, despite his lack of balance. (Harrow explains to her that he hoped his penance would balance his scales — when he sees it hasn’t, he’s perfectly willing to die for the pain he has already caused and hand over his purer followers for Ammit’s use, suggesting he really is fanatical about Ammit and isn’t necessarily seeking personal power.)

At around the same time, Layla also releases Khonshu, and since she refuses to be his Avatar he confronts Ammit and Harrow in his God form.

Elsewhere, Marc, despite being presented with a personal paradise, isn’t willing to sacrifice Steven, so in a nice moment, he returns to the desert sands to save him. As Marc himself begins to freeze over, he reaches out to Steven’s hand, telling him that he was the only real superpower Marc ever had. With that, the Gates of Osiris open, and their light unfreezes both Marc and Steven. Taweret buys them time to escape from an incoming tidal wave of sand, and they make it back to the land of the living. Marc snaps awake, and Khonshu, who is fighting Ammit in the Chamber of the Gods, senses it and returns to his Avatar.

The difference now, though, is that the Marc and Steven personalities are on level footing. The finale does a lot with this. Steven as Mr. Knight tries to renegotiate the terms of the deal with Khonshu; during a fight with Harrow and his goons, Moon Knight and Mr. Knight switch places on the fly. The action choreography, which if we’re being frank hasn’t been one of this show’s stronger elements, shines here. There are some neat edits and transitions to enhance the effect, and the sudden synergy after weeks of bickering to and fro feels like a nice payoff to Marc’s internal strife having been resolved.

We also get to see Layla as the Scarlet Scarab after she agrees to become Taweret’s Avatar since sealing Ammit away in human form requires more than one Godly vessel. Think the Falcon but with swords and you’ve got a pretty good idea.

Moon Knight season 1 ending

The show’s big finale moment begins with Harrow, standing atop the Great Pyramid, imbuing all of his followers with Ammit’s power so that they can begin judging the people of Cairo. Those who fall dead release their souls into the sky, and Ammit swallows them, becoming larger and larger with each gulp. Eventually, she’s the size of the Great Pyramid and begins fighting with a similarly scaled-up Khonshu while Layla and Marc/Steven fight Harrow and his goons. There’s an especially nice moment when Layla saves a busload of civilians and one of them, a young girl, asks if she’s an Egyptian superhero. The look on the kid’s face when she replies in the affirmative is a reminder of how much representation matters, a little on-the-nose though it may be.

But things don’t go well for the heroes. Harrow and Ammit get the upper hand, but just as all hope seems to be lost, there’s a flash, and suddenly Harrow is defeated and everyone is dead. Marc and Steven are confused since neither of them seemed to be in control, and Layla is aghast at what just happened. But there’s no time to discuss it since they need to carry Harrow’s body into the Chamber of the Gods in order to perform the spell that will bind Ammit to it. They succeed, but Marc/Steven refuses to kill Harrow/Ammit, as Khonshu instructs. Instead, they insist on being released from their servitude, and Khonshu reluctantly accepts. A deal’s a deal, after all.

Briefly, Marc/Steven wake up in Putnam Medical Facility, but this time they recognize it as an illusion. Next, they wake up in Steven’s apartment, which Marc is shocked to see the state of, and fall flat on their face thanks to the ankle binding. We’re back to where we started in more ways than one.

Moon Knight post-credits scene

In the obligatory post-credits scene, we see Harrow as a patient in the Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital. He’s taken away by a Spanish-speaking man and wheeled past the dead bodies of the facility’s orderlies, and bundled into the back of a white limo with the license plate SPKTR. Inside, Khonshu explains to Harrow that Marc was wrong to assume he wanted Layla as his next Avatar. After all, why would he ever need anyone else when Marc has no idea how troubled he really is.

“Meet my friend,” Khonshu says, “Jake Lockley”.

The Spanish-speaking driver is Moon Knight’s third personality. He smilingly shoots Harrow dead and drives away.

The Witcher S2 Ep 5: The Child of Destiny

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

The Witcher S2 Ep 5: The Child of Destiny

from PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-season-2-episode-5-recap/

By Lauren Aitken published December 17, 2021


Things are ramping up in The Witcher season 2 and I've got to say, episode five is my favourite so far. We finally get to hear Ithlinne's prophecy and understand who Ciri really is, as well as discover that a new breed of monsters have arrived on the Continent. New enemies appear to hunt Ciri, wielding that lovely forbidden fire magic from the first series, and it's up to Yen to rescue Jaskier from this angry mage. Oh, and did I mention Ciri wants to go through the Trial of Grasses? No? Well, let's get to it.

We meet Lydia and Rience in this episode, with Rience being the mysterious fire mage from episode four. He's captured Jaskier and his torturing him for information about Geralt of Rivia, specifically to locate Ciri. It's not clear who the two are working for yet—could be Dijkstra, could be the emperor, or maybe even Eredin and The Wild Hunt—but they are definitely bad news. Luckily, Yennefer catches up with them and pretends to be Jaskier's drunken wife before blowing a fireball in Rience's face. Jaskier and Yen then proceed to run around Oxenfurt dressed in bold purple—so inconspicuous!

Unfortunately, our duo are separated again as Yen is captured and held prisoner. The strange crone from the hut pays her another visit and this time Yen obliges, uttering the spell to summon herself to the hut. This time she asks for what she needs to do to regain her powers, and the answer? Why, it's capture Ciri, of course!! No doubt our favourite sorceress has an ulterior motive in mind here, but it's unclear whether she'll be as ruthless as before and sacrifice the girl to get her powers back. I'm hoping she tries to find out who this weird hut witch is first.

Triss and Vesemir convince Ciri with little effort to donate some of her blood to test their theory—that she has elder blood and, when mixed, will produce the chemicals needed for the Trial of the Grasses. And it works—a new breed of Witchers could soon be on the horizon. The caveat here is that Ciri demands she be the first to be tested, which could obviously have some dire consequences.

Meanwhile, she tires of feeling lost and not knowing who she is, so Triss suggests some kind of guided meditation to visit figures from her past and help figure herself out. Notable folks from your past—parents, grandparents, old friends etc—shouldn't be able to interact with you as they are memories, but this is Ciri we're talking about, so the shit hits the fan pretty quickly. Eventually, Triss and Ciri find Lara Dorren, an elven sage, cradling a newborn while wounded. She holds Triss by her throat, and despite her pleas, Ciri does nothing to save her, instead she's listening to Ithlinne's prophecy and watching the Wild Hunt on the horizon. It's here that we finally discover that she's a Daughter of Chaos, a descendant of Lara Dorren who passed on her elder blood. While Calanthe hated Elves and her own heritage, it didn't stop the potent lineage and Ciri is just as powerful as her ancestor.

The dream finally ends and Triss is absolutely horrified by what she's seen, stating that Ciri is "a seed that bursts into flames; you'll destroy us all!". Ciri cries out for Geralt who happens to still be at the monolith and the ground shakes as her scream pierces the air. Geralt and Istredd's theory that the monolith's act as conduits for the monsters is confirmed, and when the Cintra monolith was shattered, new monsters emerged as the monoliths were activated.

Geralt also finds out from Istredd that Yen is alive, and we see another tender moment where we see a mix of joy, confusion and I'd guess worry at the news. It'll be a while before they meet again, however, as they need to get back to Kaer Morhen and Nilfgaard. Istredd discovers that Ciri's bloodline only goes as far back as Fiona, so he heads off to see some information brokers to find out more. Meanwhile, Geralt arrives back just as Ciri is about to undergo the Trial, which he puts a firm end to, reminding her that she is extraordinary and good, not the world-destroyer Triss sees her as.

Florida State, 24 vs LSU, 23

Florida State blocks PAT, holds off Kelly's LSU, 24-23

Sep 4, 2022

AP

NEW ORLEANS -- — A play as unlikely as a blocked extra point with no time remaining made Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis' highlight-filled performance stand up — and spared Seminoles coach Mike Norvell from having to endure an ignominious collapse.

Shyheim Brown's deflection of Damian Ramos' kick sent the ball into the crossbar and gave Florida State a 24-23 victory over LSU on Sunday night that spoiled Brian Kelly's debut as Tigers coach.

"Obviously, there at the end, you know, we had some things that happened that we just can't have," said Norvell, who has Florida State off to its first 2-0 start since 2016. "But the one thing that happened on the last play is what we absolutely need."

LSU's improbable comeback bid came despite a slew of mistakes, including a muffed punt with 2:15 left.

Florida State's Treshaun Ward fumbled at the LSU 1 with 1:20 to go, and Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels drove LSU for a touchdown on a 2-yard pass to Jaray Jenkins with no time left.

With LSU fans celebrating an apparent two-touchdown comeback in the final 4:07 — and Florida State fans bracing for what could have gone down as an infamous implosion — Brown's block sent the Seminoles streaming triumphantly onto the field.

"I just had a big smile on my face and a couple of tears thinking about how much we have been through as a football team," said Travis, who passed for 260 yards and two touchdowns. "To end the game like that is really special. The game really shouldn't have been that close from the jump. But a win is a win."

Travis' scoring passes came on a 39-yard throw to Ontaria Wilson on a flea flicker and a 27-yard pass that Wilson corralled with one hand. Travis also rushed for 31 yards on a combination of designed runs and scrambles, repeatedly leaving LSU pass rushers grasping air as he spun or darted away from pressure.

"We had him dead to rights on two or three occasions and we didn't get him on the ground," Kelly said. "When you don't get that kid on the ground, he makes some really good impromptu plays."

Tens of thousands of garnet and gold-clad spectators helped sell out the Superdome and left happy after Florida State — coming off four straight losing seasons — prolonged a promising start to Norvell's third season.

This game was arguably more meaningful to Norvell than Kelly, who was lured from Notre Dame with a decade-long, $100 million contract designed to give him time to remake LSU football in his image.

Daniels, a transfer from Arizona State, started after a tight competition in camp with Garrett Nussmeier. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 209 yards and two TDS, both to Jenkins. Daniels also rushed for 114 yards.

Another transfer, running back Noah Cain (from Penn State), scored LSU's first TD from a yard out on fourth down late in the third quarter to make it 17-10.

Travis marched the Seminoles right back to the end zone, highlighted by a 15-yard completion to Johnny Wilson as the elusive QB jumped away from closing defenders. DJ Lundy finished the drive with a 1-yard TD run to make it 24-10 with 9:04 to go.

LSU took its only lead, at 3-0, on its first possession. But that drive stalled shortly after Garrett Dellinger, in his first game at center, snapped the ball over Daniels' head on second and goal from the FSU 5.

FSU's lead was 7-3 at halftime after both teams blew red-zone opportunities.

LSU's line didn't look ready when the ball was snapped on a field goal attempt, and Jared Varse knifed in to block Ramos' kick.

The Seminoles couldn't cash in on Malik Nabers first of two muffed punts, which FSU recovered on the LSU 16. Norvell kept the offense on the field on fourth and 2 from the 8, and Travis' pass to the far corner of the end zone fell incomplete.

TAKEAWAY

Florida State: Travis' combination of scrambling and passing ability gave LSU's defense fits in ways that showed up more in the Seminoles' 392 net yards than in the final score.

LSU: The offensive line remains a work in progress and at times looked like a liability. Daniels had to scramble often and was the Tigers leading rusher by 91 yards.

INJURIES

LSU: Starting defensive end Maason Smith left the game in the first quarter after his knee appeared to buckle. He's expected to have an MRI on Monday.

EJECTED

LSU lost a second defensive end when team captain Ali Gaye was ejected for a targeting foul against Travis as the QB released a touchdown pass in the third quarter.

NEXT UP

Florida State: Visits Louisville to open its ACC slate on Sept. 16.

LSU: Hosts Southern on Saturday night.

Mercer, 16 at Auburn, 42

Bigsby leads Auburn ground attack in 42-16 win over Mercer

Sep 3, 2022

AP

AUBURN, Ala. -- — Tank Bigsby ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns and Auburn opened its season with a 42-16 home win over FCS opponent Mercer on Saturday night.

Bigsby was one of nine players who recorded a carry for the Tigers, who generated 285 of their 497 total yards on the ground. Jarquez Hunter scored three rushing touchdowns, while backup quarterback Robby Ashford generated 168 total yards as he split time with starter T.J. Finley.

"We ran the ball effectively," Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin said. "We want to run the football. Overall, it all starts with running the ball. ... We wanted to do that tonight, and I'd say we did that pretty well."

At the 1:33 mark of the third quarter, the game was delayed for an hour and 27 minutes due to lightning. Bigsby scored from 39 yards out on the first play after the delay.

Finley finished 9-for-14 passing for 112 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Ashford took over at quarterback midway through the third quarter after Finley's second interception.

"I just looked at it as I got an opportunity to play ball," Ashford said. "And that's all I wanted and all I asked for. Whether I'm going off the bench or starting, I just want to play football. Whichever way I can help the team is what I'm going to do every day."

Mercer (1-1) had only 101 yards of offense in the first half but found late success after the delay. Fred Payton finished 21 for 36 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Devron Harper.

"It's always a great opportunity to play a team like this," Mercer head coach Drew Cronic said. "I wouldn't say I'm proud of the way we played. I thought we hurt ourselves a lot. But I like the way we finished each half. We showed some resiliency, but way too many self-inflicted mistakes."

THE TAKEAWAY

Mercer: The Bears were unable to keep it as close as their last trip to Auburn, a 24-10 loss in 2017, but they still had some positive moments on both sides of the ball. Mercer plays only FCS opponents for the rest of the season, so it can build on a solid two-game start.

Auburn: The Tigers already have an interesting quarterback situation brewing after Finley's two interceptions and Ashford's effective debut. Harsin said Finley "is our starter," but added that Ashford is "going to play." Auburn has another non-conference game next week in which it will be a clear favorite before hosting Penn State, so the quarterback usage will be monitored closely.

GROWING EXPECTATIONS

In his first career start, Auburn inside linebacker Cam Riley finished with 15 tackles. It was a major step up for the junior, who only recorded 14 tackles during the entire 2021 season.

"I wasn't expecting to end with 15," Riley said afterwards. "I told (linebacker Owen Pappoe) 15, but in reality, I wasn't really expecting that I would end the night with 15 tackles. ... The goal for the season was to end with 50 tackles.

"So, of course, after tonight, 50 has expanded. It's going way higher than 50. I'm aiming for 100 now."

UP NEXT

Mercer: The Bears have an off week before hosting The Citadel on Sept. 17.

Auburn: The Tigers host San Jose State next Saturday night.

Sam Houston, 0 at (6) Texas A&M, 31

King throws 3 TDs as No. 6 Texas A&M downs Sam Houston 31-0

September 3, 2022

AP

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Despite having a career day Saturday, coach Jimbo Fisher knows quarterback Haynes King can do much more.

“That’s a solid performance and he can play better than that,” Fisher said. “I thought he threw accurately downfield.”

King threw for a career-high 364 yards and three long touchdowns to lead No. 6 Texas A&M to a 31-0 win over Sam Houston in a game that included an almost three-hour weather delay.

King, who was named the starter last week after beating out two others in camp, threw touchdown passes of 66, 63 and 43 yards in the opener for both teams. King also threw two interceptions in an inconsistent performance while making his return after breaking his leg in the second game last season.

Ainias Smith had six receptions for a career-high 164 yards with two touchdowns and Devon Achane ran for a score to help Texas A&M to the victory.

“On the defensive side, I felt like they played well,” Smith said. “Sticking to the offensive side, we need to go ahead and execute a whole lot better.”

The Aggies were up 17-0 at halftime when the game was suspended due to lightning in the area at 1 p.m. Neither team returned to the field after halftime and a message was posted on the video boards telling fans that the game was suspended and to seek shelter.

The sun was out when the suspension began, but heavy rain began to fall about an hour into the delay.

The rain had stopped by the time the teams returned to the field for a 20-minute warmup period before the game resumed at 3:54 p.m.

The Aggies kept it going after the long delay on the first drive of the third quarter when Achane bulled in from 1-yard out for the touchdown.

Smith said the delay helped the team refocus to close out the game on a high note.

“No disrespect to those other guys, but we were just trying to drill,” he said. “We weren’t trying to play no games and that’s what it was.”

The defense made a stop after that, but Kameryn Alexander hopped in front of a receiver to pick off King on A&M’s next drive. King returned to the sideline where Fisher talked to him for a minute before he returned to the bench.

The Bearkats couldn’t take advantage of the mistake and had to punt. King then capped a 10-play, 89-yard drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Smith to make it 31-0 with about 11 minutes remaining and end his day.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “We’ve got to get a lot better... just got to keep developing in the things we do.”

Jordan Yates, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech, threw for 91 yards and ran for 60 in his first game for Sam Houston.

The Bearkats, who won the FCS national title in 2020, are playing their last season in the FCS as they transition to FBS next year. Sam Houston is playing an abbreviated nine-game schedule this year as it transitions and is not eligible for the FCS playoffs as the team prepares to make the jump to college football’s top division.

“I think early on we realized that we belong on the same field,” Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said. “The problem is you’ve got to make plays, and we didn’t make enough plays.”

Yulkeith Brown put the Aggies up 7-0 in the first quarter when he got in front of the defense to grab his first career reception for a 66-yard score.

The Aggies had a chance to add to the lead with about 8 ½ minutes left in the second quarter, but BJ Foster’s interception on the 3-yard line ended the drive.

Texas A&M made it 10-0 on a 40-yard field goal by Caden Davis about five minutes before halftime.

King connected with Smith on a 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown to make it 17-0 with less than a minute left in the second.

THE TAKEAWAY

Sam Houston: Though the Bearkats struggled against A&M Saturday, they did make some big plays and put up a fight against what is expected to be one of the nation’s best teams. They should continue to be one of the top teams in the FCS in their last season in the division.

Texas A&M: The Aggies will need to limit mistakes and play more consistently if they hope to compete with the elite teams in the SEC.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Johnny Manziel, who won the Heisman in his record-setting freshman year at A&M in 2012, and fellow former Aggies standout Mike Evans, who now plays for Tampa Bay, were among the 97,946 fans at Saturday’s game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Aggies should retain their spot in the AP Top 25 after the win.

UP NEXT

Sam Houston: Hosts Northern Arizona next Saturday night.

Texas A&M: Hosts Appalachian State next Saturday after the Mountaineers lost a 63-61 thriller to North Carolina this week.

(11) Oregon, 3 at (3) Georgia, 49

Bennett, Georgia D lead No. 3 Dawgs to 49-3 rout of Oregon

Sep 3, 2022

AP

ATLANTA -- — Stetson Bennett and the Georgia defense picked up where they left off in last year's national championship game, even with a bunch of their former teammates now playing in the NFL.

Bennett threw for 368 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, a revamped defense didn't miss a beat, and the No. 3 Bulldogs looked very much like a champion intent on repeating with a 49-3 rout of No. 11 Oregon on Saturday.

Bennett completed 25-of-31 passes with two touchdowns and ran for another score in the season opener before calling it a day in the third quarter. By that point, Georgia led 42-3 and had thoroughly ruined the debut of Oregon coach Dan Lanning.

Georgia really opened it up on offense, throwing 37 times for 439 yards.

"I think when you watch what they did today, if you're watching from home, you're saying, ‘Man, I'd love to come play in that offense,'" coach Kirby Smart said.

After spending the last three years as Georgia's co-defensive coordinator, Lanning got a look at his former team from the opposing sideline in a game played before a predominantly red-clad crowd at the home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

He saw just how far the Ducks have to go.

"That locker room is hurting a little bit," Lanning said. "But they're ready to grow."

Bennett, the former walk-on who led a storybook run to Georgia's first national title since 1980, returned for a sixth college season with a firm grip on the starting job after battling for playing time most of his career.

Bennett was the offensive MVP of both Georgia victories in last year's College Football Playoff.

He started his final season with a career high for passing yards.

"It's always good to go in being the guy," Bennett said. "It was pretty cool."

He guided the Bulldogs to the end zone on all six possessions he played. He ran for a 1-yard score and tossed TD passes of 4 yards to Ladd McConkey — spinning away from a pass rusher who appeared to have him corralled — and 18 yards to Adonai Mitchell.

There were some questions about the Georgia defense, which had five players off the 2021 unit selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Any doubts were quickly put to rest by a swarming group that looked very much like last year's defense for the ages, making life miserable for new Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

"One of our mottos is, ‘No one in our end zone,'" said Christopher Smith, who had one of Georgia's two interceptions.

Nix transferred to Eugene after starting at Auburn the last three seasons. He immediately found himself facing a team he lost to three times while playing in the SEC.

Make it 0-4.

Nix's frustration was evident when he buried his helmet in his hands after a false-start penalty.

Georgia's day was epitomized by a short pass to Darnell Washington that turned into a big gain when the 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end shrugged off one defender hitting him high and hurdled another who tried to bring him down low.

QUITE A DEBUT

Freshman Malaki Starks looks like one of the new stars of the Georgia defense.

He made a brilliant interception while falling backward at the Georgia 8 and wound up leading the team with eight tackles.

NIX IN GREEN

Despite his poor showing, Nix has a solid grasp on the Oregon quarterback job.

Nix completed 21 of 37 for just 173 yards, and his second interception — the one picked off by Smith — was an especially poor decision.

"He forced a throw he didn't need to force," Lanning said. "Bo knows that."

Even though he didn't name a stating quarterback leading up to the game, Lanning never considered giving someone else a shot.

Nix is still No. 1 on the depth chart.

"He's our quarterback," Lanning said. "He did a a good job handling some adverse situations. Now he's got to figure out how he can improve."

THE TAKEAWAY

Oregon: Lanning clearly has a lot of work to do to bring the Ducks up to a truly elite level. While there's no shame in losing to a team such as Georgia, Oregon expected to be much more competitive in their new coach's first game.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are off and rolling in defense of their national championship. They weren't threatened at all by perhaps the toughest team on their schedule until a Nov. 19 game at Kentucky.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Bulldogs are more than worthy of their No. 3 ranking. Smart has built a program that reloads rather than rebuilds.

Oregon is sure to tumble in The Associated Press poll. But at least every game from here on out looks much easier than facing the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

Oregon: Home opener next Saturday against FCS school Eastern Washington.

Georgia: While this seemed like a home game for Georgia, its actual home opener is next Saturday against FCS opponent Sanford.

Elon, 31 at Vanderbilt, 42

What Did You Miss? To see what happened with this team last week, click HERE

Wright scores school record 6 TDs as Vandy beats Elon 42-31

Sep 3, 2022

AP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Mike Wright scored a program record six touchdowns throwing for 245 yards and running for 84 more as Vanderbilt beat Elon 42-31 Saturday night.

"We love that he's on our side," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. "As he goes, we go on offense. I thought there were times where he was magnificent."

With the victory, the Commodores matched Lea's win total for all of his debut season in the first two games to start this season. It's Vanderbilt's first 2-0 start since 2018 as the Commodores spoiled Elon's season opener.

Matthew McKay and Elon sure made it interesting late after pulling within 11. The Phoenix recovered an onside kick. Vanderbilt forced a turnover and stopped a pair of fourth-and-1 attempts in the final 3:19, the second just outside its own goal line with 49 seconds left.

"I was happy for the defense to step up, I was happy for the defense to keep more points off the board and I was proud of the way they responded," Lea said.

Elon coach Tony Trisciani noted this was the first game for his program compared to Vanderbilt having an opening win at Hawaii.

"You take away those first game pitfalls that we fell into in the first half and you look at what we did in the second half, we can definitely build on that," Trisciani said.

Wright, who scored four touchdowns in Vanderbilt's season-opening win in Hawaii, topped the previous record matched by Earl Bennett against Kentucky in 2005 and set by Frank Mordica with five TDs against Air Force in 1978.

The quarterback put Vanderbilt ahead to stay with a 5-yard TD run, then dropped the ball into Jayden McGowan's hands for a 75-yard catch and run up the Vanderbilt sideline. Wright then made it a 21-0 lead with a 6-yard TD to Will Sheppard late in the first quarter. His 26-yarder to Sheppard made it 28-10 before halftime.

Wright became Vandy's first quarterback with multiple TD runs in consecutive games since Greg Zolman in 1999 with a 44-yard run early in the third for his fifth TD of the game and a 35-10 lead. He took the record to himself with a 9-yard TD pass to Ray Davis with 10:02 left in the fourth.

"It's a beautiful thing to see," defensive end Elijah McAllister said of Wright. "Honestly, it's just funny because it's not surprising to me. He does it every single day in practice."

The game started 30 minutes late because of weather. Play continued despite lightning delaying the start of an MLS game between Nashville and Austin just three miles away for nearly an hour.

This was a big difference from Vanderbilt's season opener last year against a FCS opponent. East Tennessee State ruined Lea's debut. Elon came in receiving votes in both of the top FCS polls but leaves still looking for its first win over a FBS team since moving to the FCS level.

Elon outgained Vanderbilt 495-424 and held the ball for more than 34 minutes. McKay finished with 270 yards and two TD passes while running for 52 yards and two more TDs.

THE TAKEAWAY

Elon: Quarterback Joey Baughman hurt his right leg and was helped to a cart and taken to the locker room just before halftime. He was 1 of 2 for 10 yards passing, and Baughman also ran four times for 20 yards.

Vanderbilt: These Commodores are proving to be very offensive, scoring 21 points in the first quarter for 84 points through the first five quarters this season. It's their best offensive start since opening the 1970 season with 91 points. ... They also can score quickly. Four drives took 1:57 or less.

MORE WRIGHT STUFF

The Vanderbilt quarterback was the Commodores' first to throw for four TDs in a game since Kyle Shurmur in 2017.

UP NEXT

Elon visits Wofford as part of a two-game road swing to start this season.

Vanderbilt hosts No. 22 Wake Forest, a 44-10 winner over VMI in its opener.