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Utah State's Matt Wells has played and coached at Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium.

Memories of the walk onto the field and standing along the sideline — well within earshot of Fresno State's rabid fans — make him smile and wince at the same time.

"It's a tough place to play," said Wells, whose Aggies travel to Fresno on Saturday night. "… It's a great atmosphere for them, so we know what we're getting into. We will get their very best shot."

Teams visiting Fresno always do.

The Bulldogs are 11-1 in Mountain West Conference homes games since joining the league in 2012. They are 18-3 at home under coach Tim DeRuyter.

So far this season, however, the Bulldogs have struggled. After an opening 34-13 win over little Abilene Christian, they have lost four straight to Ole Miss, Utah, San Jose State and San Diego State.

In those defeats, Fresno's defense allowed 47 points per game. Offensively, the Bulldogs averaged only 2.9 yards per rush.

Can't stop the opposing team.

Can't keep the ball away from the opposing team.

That's an equation for disaster.

"Guys have got to execute better and start playing with a swagger because you [should] know what to do," DeRuyter told reporters this week.

"You should understand the speed of the game at this point. You shouldn't act like it's the first game, and we have to do a better job as coaches to make guys comfortable with what we're asking them to do. I know we're getting effort, but we're just not as mature as we need to be right now."

Utah State hopes Fresno keeps struggling — at least for one more week.

The Aggies come off a confidence-building 33-18 win over Colorado State in their conference opener. A win over the Bulldogs would set up a Mountain Division showdown with No. 25 Boise State next Friday at Maverik Stadium.

Behind sophomore quarterback Kent Myers, Utah State found its offense against CSU. The Aggies finished with season highs for points, rushing yards (298) and total yards (435). In an attempt to slow them down, Wells expects Fresno's defense to play aggressively, as usual.

"I have a lot of respect for … all the pressure looks they give you," he said. "… They give you safety pressures, outside linebacker pressures, inside linebackers pressures. You name it, they're coming down that ramp blitzing and pressuring. That scheme is a challenge and those guys do a good job. They always have."

It will be Myers' job to deal with Fresno State's aggressiveness.

"I'm ready for anything they throw at me," he said. "They like to blitz a lot, so I'm just going to be ready for it and know who I'm supposed to throw to when those guys come. … The offensive line will be ready for anything that comes at them." —

Utah State at Fresno State

O At Bulldog Stadium

Kickoff • 8:30 p.m. MDT

TV • CBS Sports Network

Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 102.1 FM, 95.9 FM

Records • Utah State 2-2, 1-0; Fresno State 1-4, 0-2

Series • Fresno, 17-10-1

Last meeting • Fresno State, 24-17 (2013)

About the Aggies • They are 37-14 in their last 51 games, going back to the 2011 season. … They are 13-2 in their last 15 conference road games. … Their defense has forced six turnovers in the last two games (Washington, Colorado State).

About the Bulldogs • They have lost four straight to Ole Miss (73-21), Utah (45-24), San Jose State (49-23) and San Diego State (21-7). … They managed only 89 yards of offense against San Diego State — 22 in the second half.