BadgerBlitz.com returns the weekly 'Stock Up, Stock Down' for the 2024 season. In this series, we'll offer evaluations of players on Wisconsin's roster in the context of their 'stock.' Performance, playing time and opportunity are all factored into the movement of a player's stock.

Christian Alliegro once again finds himself in the stock up category. After he led the way for the defense against Iowa with 16 tackles, he proved that was no fluke by logging 10 against Oregon. 26 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, isn't bad through two weeks. Alliegro also proved that he has the full trust of the coaching staff by playing 63 snaps Saturday night. He's a full-fledged starter at this point, and figures to be the centerpiece of this defense next fall.

Hunter Wohler's status is uncertain for this week, as he was taken to the locker room in the fourth quarter against Oregon and didn't return. What's more, there was bigger fish to fry this week at Luke Fickell's presser, so no update was provided on the star safety. But that's exactly what Wohler played like against the Ducks. He flew around, leading the team in tackles with 12 and delivering some vicious blows, like his devastating hit on wideout Evan Stewart in the third quarter. The safety was nowhere to be found two weeks ago in Wisconsin's beatdown at the hands of Iowa, but he ensured his fingerprints were all over the Oregon game.

Wisconsin's defensive backs knew they would be tested against the Ducks, and Nyzier Fourqurean was more than up to the challenge. It was a rocky start, as on Oregon's second drive, he was toasted down the sideline by Stewart for a gain of 32 yards. He kept his head up, however, and on the very next play he reeled in an interception off a tipped ball. Fourqurean also played with excellent physicality, logging seven solo tackles with a tackle-for-loss sprinkled in. He also nearly picked off another pass that went down as a pass-breakup. There were questions about how the corner would hold up against a dynamic passing attack, and he answered them emphatically.

If Fourqurean passed his test against the Oregon passing attack with flying colors, the same could be said about Ricardo Hallman. The Ducks, seemingly unconvinced of the corner's prowess in coverage, immediately tested him. On their first drive, they took a shot to Stewart on a double move route. Hallman was stride-for-stride, using excellent footwork to absolutely blanket the talented wideout deep down the field. Point taken. Oregon hardly looked his way after that.

The Badgers' offensive front as a whole certainly took a step forward after the Iowa debacle against Oregon. The ground game found some traction at times, and Wisconsin wasn't constantly manhandled at the point of attack. Still, there were some serious struggles for right tackle Riley Mahlman. He might've played the worst game of his career on Saturday. Mahlman allowed two sacks, getting waxed in multiple one-on-one situations with the Ducks' talented pass rushers such as Matayo Uiagalelei. Mahlman has been rock solid this season, but it was a rough day at the office for him.

Locke's stock has plummeted steadily for weeks, and that didn't change against Oregon. He had another putrid performance, and while the statistics (96 passing yards, 43 percent completion, no touchdowns, another interception) tell plenty of the story, it was worse than his stat-line suggests. He had several throws to no one in particular. He had several throws right to Oregon defenders that should've been picked off. He continues to have multiple passes batted down at the line of scrimmage each game. Oh, and the statistics look even worse if you consider that nearly half his passing yards came on one 43-yard go ball to Vinny Anthony. Locke still gives the Badgers their best chance to reach bowl eligibility, but it's a painful endeavor to watch him facilitate the offense.

Tucker Ashcraft is supposed to be Wisconsin's receiving threat at tight end. After he dropped multiple passes against Iowa and dropped a touchdown against Oregon to land himself in the stock down category for the second-straight week, that dream is essentially dead. Ashcraft may still develop into a solid player for the Badgers, but he's not a very gifted receiver at the moment and is hurting Wisconsin in that category.

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