Vanderbilt upsets Kentucky to end 26-game SEC losing streak: College football media reacts

Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt Commodores shocked the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field to win their first game in SEC play since 2019.

A LOT has happened since Vanderbilt last won a conference game.

While the Commodores have been much improved under second-year head coach Clark Lea, a conference victory still evaded them. Although the ‘Dores play the Kentucky Wildcats annually as SEC East foes, nobody outside of Nashville expected for Vanderbilt to get the win in Lexington. Well, Dirty Mike Wright and the Boys anchored down and turned Kroger Field into a Toyota Prius.

Here is the play that Wright found Will Sheppard in the back of the end zone to stun Kentucky.

It is officially basketball season in the Bluegrass State. What a terrible loss for Mark Stoops!

Vanderbilt upsets Kentucky in Lexington to end 26-game SEC losing streak

With the ‘Dores improving to 4-6 on the season, they are technically still alive when it comes to bowl eligibility. Although they would need to beat Florida and in-state nemesis Tennessee, the Commodores just beat a top-25 team in Lexington. While a bowl game may be out of reach for Vanderbilt this season, the Commodores are certainly trending in the right direction under Lea.

When Lea was hired away from the Notre Dame defense, we all wondered if he could bring success back to his alma mater’s program. Although James Franklin had a great run in Nashville before departing for Penn State, the ‘Dores have largely not been able to compete on the gridiron with its conference foes for some time. Perhaps this could be changing for the better for them?

Overall, this win says more about the Kentucky offense than anything. The Wildcats won double-digit games a year ago and had a returning star quarterback in Will Levis. Although he has all the traits of a first-round pick, this game will be the one that keeps him from going inside of the top 32 this spring in the 2023 NFL Draft. Clearly, Kentucky overlooked Vanderbilt badly in this game.

Kentucky hosts SEC East nemesis Georgia next week with a chance to potentially hand the Dawgs their first loss on the season. However, the Wildcats just lost at home to Vanderbilt, so they clearly have bigger fish to fry than attempting to play spoiler to the defending national champions in their place. As for Vanderbilt, this is a win Lea and his program can certainly build on towards next year.

Congratulations on finally getting an SEC win under the Joe Biden Administration, Commodores!

For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.