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As the Utes prepare to face Fresno State, don't you think you should brush up, too?

Unlike last week, fans aren't flying in blind. Some of you may have tuned in to watch the 52-13 thrashing the Bulldogs suffered at the hands of USC. The offense looked messy, and the defense couldn't slow the Trojans' march. The question now is this: Is USC just that good, or does Fresno State really have that much work to do?

To shed some light on the answer, I asked Fresno Bee reporter Bryant-Jon Anteola five questions about the team he covers. You can read his stories by clicking here, or follow him on Twitter by clicking here, but for your reading pleasure, here's the rundown on some burning questions:

1. What is the atmosphere and mood around the team after opening the season with another loss to USC? What is their mindset entering this week? Fresno State never suffered such a thorough beating during the regular season in coach Tim DeRuyter's three seasons. The two previous times that the Bulldogs lost by such a large margin, it occurred in bowl games, so the team had a whole offseason to recover physically and mentally. That's obviously not the case this time around. The Bulldogs believe they're not nearly as bad as they showed in the season-opening 52-13 loss to the Trojans. Some mark it up as USC just being a dominant USC team and midmajor Fresno State being outmatched.

Regardless, Fresno State expected to compete better than it did, and that's what the Bulldogs will strive for at Utah: Compete better and maybe you've got a shot at beating the Utes. But the Bulldogs have a lot of work ahead both offensively and defensively, and even on special teams moving forward. Fresno State, in the past, has shown it can bounce back quickly from a loss. The Bulldogs never have lost two straight in the same season in DeRuyter's tenure. After such a brutal season-opening performance, though, Fresno State might be in danger of breaking that trend. 2. The Bulldogs worked in two quarterbacks last week, Brian Burrell and Brandon Connette. What do you see as what each guy brings to the table, and does one of them have an edge in being the permanent starter? Burrell, a junior, was the in-house candidate who received the start Saturday because of his familiarity in Fresno State's playbook. But knowing the playbook on the chalkboard is obviously quite different than executing that plays on the field. And that's what Burrell still is working on, considering he's played in only six Division-I games, and last week was the first time he played while it wasn't garbage time. Connette is the graduate transfer from Duke who has plenty of game experience, playing in 39 games for the Blue Devils. But as much as Connette believes he's gotten the Fresno State playbook down, he's only had since June to learn the system and so there's a lag in his execution of the plays. Connette has the track record of successfully running the ball - he owns Duke's career rushing touchdown record. But both quarterbacks have shown they can run the ball.

Burrell looked a little more comfortable throwing in the seven to 12-yard passing range down field. But overall, they both played poorly against USC and couldn't throw down field. Burrell was 11 of 19 for 92 yards and an interception. Connette completed 7 of 17 passes for 68 yards and three interceptions. Neither threw a touchdown. With neither quarterback shining nor separating himself from the other, DeRuyter has elected to rotate both guys again, essentially each quarter, at Utah. The player who commits fewer turnovers is the one likely to win the starting job down the stretch. So currently, the lead belongs to Burrell. 3. We saw a decent game out of Marteze Waller last week despite the big loss. What makes him an effective runner, and is Fresno State going to lean more on his production with uncertainty in the passing game? Fresno State's no-huddle spread is based on taking what the defense gives you. If a defense wants to load up the box, Fresno State wants to attack in the air. If defenses are spread out, then the Bulldogs want to turn to their running game. That's when Waller gained most of his yards against USC. Waller got the start Saturday because last year's starter Josh Quezada (formerly of BYU) was injured. But the 5-foot-10, 209-pound Waller has shown he can gain tough yards between the tackles.

Fresno State isn't going to drastically change its offense and suddenly become a run-oriented system. The Bulldogs offense still is geared toward spreading opponents out and getting the ball out quickly to the proper match-ups. That'll remain Fresno State's approach going into Utah. Quezada, by the way, might play in Salt Lake and he provides a similar style as Waller. Quezada is a more polished receiver out of the backfield. 4. Like USC, Utah also has a high-tempo offense. Is the Fresno State defense better equipped to handle that after seeing the Trojans last week? What do you see as the major adjustments that need to be made? Utah might be a Pac-12 team like USC but it's not likely the Utes have the same type of players as the Trojans across the board. So that should help Fresno State some, no longer facing an offensive line with the likes of a 6-foot-5, 370-pound guard and a 6-foot-9, 350-pound tackle. Take away the USC outing and Fresno State has had success defending high-tempo offenses before. Before he became Utah's offensive coordinator, Dave Christensen head coached at Wyoming. And in Fresno State's two games against Christensen and Wyoming, the Cowboys gained 296 total yards last year in a 48-10 Fresno State win and just 243 total yards during a 42-14 Fresno State victory in 2012.

Surely, Utah has more talented players than Wyoming so it'll be quite the test for Fresno State again Saturday. The biggest adjustment Fresno State faces is making third-down stops, especially in third-and-long scenarios. USC converted its first seven third-down attempts and went 9 of 12 in the first half alone (11 of 18 for the game). 5. The Utes really like their receivers, particularly Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott. How might the Bulldogs try and account for those threats in the passing game? It's going to be a tough matchup for Fresno State. Even though the defense returns eight starters from last year, a glaring weakness from a year ago has rolled over to this season: cornerback play. Fresno State cornerbacks were beaten on fade routes and a few deep passes, and didn't play physical enough against USC's quick passing game.

The Bulldogs didn't make any sacks against the Trojans, but I think that's one area Fresno State can make vast and quick improvements. Put quick pressure on Utah quarterback Travis Wilson and limit the Utes' ability to throw down field. Fresno State generated 40 sacks last year.

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Good stuff out of Fresno.

Matt and I will continue breaking down this game. Look for more preview content coming out on Friday.

Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon