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.

Those who have watched Vinny Anthony practice with Wisconsin know that his potential as a big-play wideout is extremely high. His natural track speed and ability to turn on the afterburners with the ball in his hands make him, in theory, an extremely dangerous player. He finally put those skills on display in a stadium against USC, reeling in a 63-yard bomb from Braedyn Locke on the Badgers' opening drive and nearly taking a kickoff to the house, returning it 72 yards. Wisconsin needs its perimeter receivers to step up, and Anthony's performance in Los Angeles was a step in the right direction.

Tawee Walker had arguably his best performance in a Badger uniform back home on the West Coast. The tailback demonstrated his nose for the end zone twice, including an 18-yard rushing touchdown that serves as Wisconsin's longest rushing score in 2024. Whereas his backfield mate Chez Mellusi continued to be mostly bottled up on the ground, Walker finished with a serviceable 4.6 yards-per-carry. Head coach Luke Fickell talked this week about reining in the tailback rotation and focusing on a two or three players to allow the backs to get hot, and Walker should be a direct beneficiary of that.

Preston Zachman has been one of the bigger surprises on the Badgers' defense this season, but maybe it's time to suspend our disbelief with the safety who continues to surpass expectations. Coming out of camp, it was expected that the Badgers had three to four safeties they would deploy as starters, but Zachman has dominated the snaps alongside Hunter Wohler. He continued to remind why, as he was sensational against USC. He finished with just four tackles but also swatted a pass and reeled in an impressive interception while in coverage against the dynamic Zachariah Branch. He's simply in the right place at the right time, and this coaching staff loves him for that.

According to Fickell, Max Lofy tweaked his back in pre-game warm ups and was unable to play. That led the staff to insert safety Austin Brown as the starter at nickel, and he performed very admirably, especially considering the circumstances — Fickell said the change was made an hour before kickoff. Brown led the team in tackles with nine including two for loss, recorded a huge strip-sack and swatted a pass. He was a game-changer on defense, something the Badgers desperately need more of. Brown hadn't played more than 12 snaps prior to Week 5 against USC, but that performance should earn him more playing time moving forward.

Much of USC's success against Wisconsin came by consistently winning one-on-one receiver-defensive back matchups. Unfortunately for Fourqurean, he was the Badgers' worst offender in that department. According to Pro Football Focus, he surrendered six catches on seven targets for 83 yards and the opening touchdown on a go ball to Ja'Kobi Lane. USC's receivers repeatedly got the better of him downfield. Fourqurean also struggled two weeks ago against Alabama, and he's allowing a whopping 84.6 reception percentage through four games.

Xavier Lucas rotated in and out against USC, but it wasn't his best 22 snaps of the season. Lucas looked good as a tackler, but struggled in coverage against the Trojans' talented receivers. On one drive, he was matched up with he 6-foot-4 wideout Lane, who converted a 3rd-and-long on the freshman corner before mossing him in the end zone for a touchdown on a fade route. When all was said and done, Lucas was targeted three times and allowed three catches. The young corner has looked promising this season, but Saturday was a bit of a reality check for him and a reminder that he has plenty of developing to do when face-to-face with elite receivers.

It's been difficult for Michigan State transfer Tyrell Henry to find a role amongst Wisconsin's wideouts this season. He's seen just 24 snaps on offense, and muffing a critical punt on the road, as he did against USC, certainly won't help his case for more playing time. Henry may be in the doghouse on special teams now, which will further cap his possible contributions to this team.

Trech Kekahuna may be a forgotten talking point given the more pressing, overarching issues with the Badgers' offense. Still, it's fair to wonder where in the world the redshirt freshman is. After a three-catch, 34-yard performance in the opener in which he displayed great hands and looked like quite possibly Wisconsin's most elusive receiver, he has one catch for eight yards in the following games. He was targeted four times against the Trojans, but couldn't log a single catch. Kekahuna is such a dangerous player with the ball in his hands, and making that happen more often can only be beneficial for the Badgers. So where are the receiver's touches?

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