A loss like the one Utah State took at Idaho can go one of two ways.

The Aggies can bounce back against Fresno State on Saturday night, prove that the defeat to the Vandals was a mere blip and continue on course to one of the best seasons in USU history.

Or No. 17 Utah State can struggle with the Bulldogs and prove that the Idaho loss was no fluke. Obviously, the Aggies will choose Option A. They want to start a new streak after suffering their first loss of the conference season.

"Losing was a shock to our system because it's been so long since we've tasted defeat," USU coach Stew Morrill said. "We've just got to come out and play well. This is a tough Fresno team, so we have to forget about Idaho."

No doubt, losing to the Vandals was ugly. The Aggies turned the ball over, they didn't defend well, they didn't beat the Vandals to loose balls and they didn't make winning plays at crunch time.

The most glaring problem? They didn't make open shots. Utah State missed 28 of its 33 3-point attempts, easily its worst shooting of the season. Reversing that trend is the Aggies' first priority.

"We want to return to the team that we were against Boise State," USU forward Tai Wesley said. "We played what we thought was one of our best games of the year against Boise, and then we came out and laid an egg against Idaho. We're all angry by the way we played. We have to come out and play defense the way we know we can play."

tjones@sltrib.com