BadgerBlitz.com brings you our weekly "3-2-1" feature for the 2024 season, where we take a look at three things we learned from the Iowa game and the bye, two remaining questions and one bold prediction for when the the Badgers host the Ducks on Saturday night.

The damning statistics from Wisconsin's loss to Iowa (329 rush yards, five touchdowns allowed) don't even need to be mentioned to conjure up memories of just how poor the Badgers' front seven was against the Hawkeyes. It was painfully clear to the naked eye. Wisconsin got pushed around all night; the word "manhandled" has perhaps never been more applicable.

"Obviously, to be able to stop the run is the thing that, no matter what you do, you've got to do a better job of," head coach Luke Fickell said. "When you can't control the line of scrimmage, it starts there. Give them some credit, they did some things, taking on crack blocks, taking some two for ones that cost us some big plays on some counters early in the game. But what it comes down to is physicality."

Meanwhile, the running game on offense was completely stagnant. Tawee Walker's longest carry went for 12 yards. He averaged just 3.3 yards-per-carry and was consistently bottled up. For the second straight week, the Badgers' offensive line crumbled when it was needed the most.

There's seemingly nothing that irritates Fickell more than an inability to control the line of scrimmage. Ironically, that's been one of, it not the biggest problem in his Wisconsin tenure.

There's been plenty to choose from, but two Saturdays ago in Iowa City might've been the worst showing from Phil Longo's unit yet. His quarterback Braedyn Locke imploded, throwing two interceptions while being lucky to not have two more on his stat sheet. It was his third game (in six starts) with multiple turnovers this season. His 137 yards passing were his lowest in a start in his career.

"It really comes down to an area where Braedyn is actually really good. I'm on record as saying Braedyn is a phenomenal student of the game...but the interceptions are decision-making issues also," Longo said.

The play-caller then went on to explain how those decision-making errors are magnified against zone coverage, where Locke has particularly struggled.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The offensive line played atrocious. Penalties ran rampant. Receivers dropped passes. Play-calling was highly questionable at times. This was about as embarrassing and discombobulated of a performance as it gets on offense.

On Monday, Longo was asked if he's had to face a challenge as tough as this one in his career.

"Not in a while," he pondered. "Not in a while. It's a great conference, this is why I came. Great coaches we battle against every week. There's some really good talent, and it's a heavy conference from top to bottom. There's really no bottom-feeders in this deal, you're battling every single (week)."

'"But I think you're hired for a reason," he continued. "Typically, things aren't pristine when you arrive. Right now, these last two years, Fick has a plan and a vision and he's laid it out. Sometimes trying to get to where you want to get to, we all want that to happen tomorrow, but it's a process and it takes a little time...when you are building something to sustain success, it's harder."

For all the offseason attention that the two transfers, Jaheim Thomas and Tackett Curtis got, they've essentially both been surpassed by a true sophomore. For all of his experience and moxie, Jake Chaney has been out-played by a former Navy lacrosse commit. That, of course, would be Christian Alliegro.

Alliegro was maybe the only bright spot against Iowa. While the rest of the front seven got eviscerated, he fought tooth and nail. He finished with a career-high 16 tackles, as well as 1.5 tackles-for-loss and the team's only sack. Alliegro shoots gaps and finishes plays with a nasty physicality. While the jury is still out on his off-ball, pass coverage ability (just 63 snaps in that department this fall, per Pro Football Focus) he looks like the kind of linebacker Mike Tressel would design in a lab.

"Christian is a bright spot from the last few weeks," Fickell said. "He's really coming on. He's a guy that didn't play a ton of football...he's a lacrosse guy, he's a post-grad guy from the East Coast. You're kinda curious as to, hey, this guy's got a lot of potential. He's gonna continue to grow. I think two weeks ago was the most he's played in a game, and you see how his production has continued to grow and rise. I think that he's just now kinda coming into his own...you're gonna see more and more of him, he's a guy that we're gonna rely heavily on as we make this push these last few weeks."

From the sound of it, Alliegro's uptick in snaps will only continue in the final quarter of the regular season. They absolutely should.

It's tough to bounce back — with a win, at least — when you're playing the undisputed top team in the nation. And yes, that would be Oregon; they're the only team receiving first place votes in the AP poll and they've rolled over opponent after opponent. Bouncing back might not necessarily mean upsetting the best team in the country, but it could mean playing a more inspired, hard-fought game.

The Iowa loss is widely considered the worst in the Fickell era. It was an emotional, physical and psychological beatdown on every level. When a program suffers a loss like that, everything is thrown into question.

"There's not a whole lot words that can explain how I feel," Fickell said after the Iowa game. "November is when you find out what you're made of, and that's not a good showing of what we're made of....That's the first time I've really felt this. This was something that's kinda your worst nightmare, to kinda be overtaken and dominated."

"There's nothing that stings more than this."

For as much blame as Fickell undoubtably deserves, give him credit for telling it like it is in Iowa City. That could've been the worst loss of his entire head coaching career.

Oregon is a phenomenal program, and they're the unanimous No. 1 team in America for a reason. But at a certain point, it becomes about pride. Can Wisconsin play with the want-to to make it close against a clearly superior team? Can it play with a gritty, scrappy, playing-with-house-money type of mindset? Or will it succumb easily and once again provide little hope in this new regime for the second straight game?

Wisconsin will host Rivals100 prospect and the fourth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 class Carter Smith on Saturday for an official visit. The Florida native, who recently de-committed from Michigan, seems to favor the Badgers as national signing day creeps closer.

News of the Badgers' pursuit of Smith broke during Wisconsin's recent brutal stretch, a merciful piece of hope for the future during what's been another disappointing season. If all goes according to plan and Smith and his family are impressed by Madison and what the program has to offer, he could potentially be a Badger sooner rather than later.

Smith would be a massive get for many reasons. Obviously, he's ranked as one of the better players in the entire country. What's more, Wisconsin has a glaring need at quarterback after Locke has made it abundantly clear that he's not the long-term answer. That need is intensified by the Badgers' lone quarterback commit in the 2025 cycle, Landyn Locke, dealing with an injury that's disrupted his senior season.

If Wisconsin can land Smith, it could feasibly have two home-grown blue chip recruits (Smith and Mabrey Mettauer) as well as whatever transfer portal quarterback it reels in this offseason to compete for the starting job in 2025. That's a situation that Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator next fall can work with.

More specifically, I expect halfback Darrion Dupree and cornerback Xavier Lucas to play a big role Saturday night.

Now, the latter's health is somewhat of a question mark, but if he's able to go, I would expect him to play a decent share of the snaps at boundary corner against Oregon. Yes, he's a true freshman that would be lining up against an explosive passing offense (ranked No. 15 in the nation) that's littered with dynamic receivers. Still, that's exactly why Lucas should play. In terms of man-to-man matchups, he's one of the best pure defensive backs Wisconsin has in the secondary. Athletically, he fits the bill to match up with the likes of Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart and Traeshaun Holden. He lacks the experience, of course, but what better time to get it?

The last time the Badgers played a team with wide receivers of the Ducks' caliber, Alabama torched Wisconsin's secondary for big play after big play. Nyzier Fourqurean was a frequent culprit. Ricardo Hallman isn't coming off the field, but against Oregon's spread attack, the Badgers will need plenty of cornerbacks and Lucas' talent is too tantalizing to keep off the field.

As for Dupree, he was Wisconsin's best running back against Iowa — not that that's saying much. Still, the tailback has proven that he's a capable runner and he's displayed some special traits, namely his body control in the open field.

This week, Longo was asked about getting slot receiver Trech Kekahuna more involved in the offense. He acknowledged that's a focus moving forward but mentioned several others that he's also looking to get more touches, and Dupree was one of those names.

"All of those guys are guys we sit and talk about with regards to trying to scheme how we want to and when we want to get those guys out on the field and in the game-plan for that particular week," he said.

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