Where does Kentucky football's stunning loss to Vanderbilt rank among Mark Stoops' worst?

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No hyperbole here: Kentucky's shocking loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday will go down as one of the worst of Mark Stoops’ decade-long tenure as the Wildcats' coach.

Entering Saturday, the Commodores hadn't won an SEC game in more than three calendar years. Their 26-game skid was the third longest in conference history. But after a contest that saw five lead changes, it was Vanderbilt that ultimately came up with the winning play: an 8-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright to Will Sheppard lifted the visitors to a 24-21 upset.

So does Saturday take the top spot for Stoops' worst loss? And what others are in the argument?

We’ll count down from four.

(Editor's note: This list only took into account games beginning with the 2016 campaign; Stoops gets a pass for his first three seasons, 2013 to 2015, as the Wildcats were in rebuilding mode.)

3 takeaways:Vanderbilt hands Kentucky football worst loss in Mark Stoops era

4. Tennessee, 2018 (Kentucky lost 24-7)

The Wildcats were riding high, owning the No. 11 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, when they took the field at Neyland Stadium. The Volunteers, on the other hand, were 4-5 (and 1-4 in conference play).

Tennessee took a 17-0 lead into the half and never looked back, beating UK in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the 17th consecutive time. A Volunteers offense that ranked 120th in the FBS in yards per game (333) topped the 400 mark against the Wildcats, the first time UT accomplished that feat against an SEC team that year.

What made the 17-point loss even tougher to stomach? Kentucky went on to win its final three games (Middle Tennessee State, Louisville and Penn State in the Citrus Bowl) to cap a 10-win season. But if the Wildcats don’t fall flat on their face at Neyland Stadium yet again? They might have been in a New Year’s Six bowl.

3. Ole Miss, 2017 (Kentucky lost 37-34)

Kentucky was 6-2 through eight games. Ole Miss, which was 3-5, only had wins over South Alabama, UT-Martin and Vanderbilt to its name.

Didn’t matter.

It was a bad matchup for the Wildcats, who owned the SEC’s worst pass defense.

The league’s most lethal aerial attack that year? You guessed it — the Rebels.

No surprise, then, that Ole Miss signal-caller Jordan Ta'amu completed 31 of his 40 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. And that included the go-ahead score to D.K. Metcalf with five seconds to play. Oh, and Ta’amu didn’t toss an interception.

The Wildcats went on to drop three of their next four games, with their only victory coming against … the Commodores.

2. Southern Miss, 2016 (Kentucky lost 44-35)

This was the season the Wildcats began their postseason streak, which now sits at seven straight years thanks to last week's bowl-clinching win at Missouri.

This season just didn’t get off on the right foot.

Kentucky held a 35-10 lead at one point in this contest. Then Southern Miss scored 34 unanswered points to leave town with a win over a Power 5 foe. Adding further insult? The Golden Eagles' offensive coordinator was Shannon Dawson, who spent the 2015 season in the same position at UK; Stoops did not retain him.

Given that tidbit, and the epic collapse, that was the worst loss of Stoops’ time at Kentucky.

Until …

1. Vanderbilt, 2022 (Kentucky lost 24-21)

It's not just the fact the Commodores carried that albatross of an SEC losing streak with them that rockets this to the top of the list. That alone likely would be enough for it to clinch the No. 1 spot.

But it's more than that.

Wright is the team's backup QB. He began the season as the starter, then was benched because of ineffectiveness. He only was back in the lineup because of an injury to starter AJ Swann.

Vanderbilt also was dealing with a flu outbreak within the program, with a roster so small it looked more like a high school team than a Power 5 conference squad.

On top of that, the Commodores had an off-field distraction taking up time this week, too: defensive backs coach Dan Jackson on Monday decided to "step away" from his position while the university investigates a Facebook comment he made in support of Kanye West, the hip-hop star who has come under fire recently for his antisemitic statements and willingness to share antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Yet the Commodores overcame all those obstacles to beat an SEC opponent.

This is a loss Stoops's program, and the Kentucky fan base, won't soon forget.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Vanderbilt football beats Kentucky: 4 worst losses in Mark Stoops era