Leroy Lutu doesn’t have time to look back.

Not to last weekend, when the University of Hawaii football team endured a lopsided loss at home. Nor to his decision several years earlier to leave the game behind.

It’s debatable how Lutu’s route might have changed had he chosen to concentrate on football rather than basketball as a high school senior in Washington. For his part, Lutu has no complaints about where that choice has led.

"I was talking to a bunch of teams (for football), but basketball was my passion, that’s what I wanted to play in college," Lutu said of skipping his final season of prep football.

"I gave up certain paths for football that could have opened up, but I’m very grateful and happy with where I’m at now. I wouldn’t change it."

Now in his fifth year at UH and his third with the Warriors since returning to football, the senior safety has a prominent role in the UH secondary and, for the first time in his career, a scholarship check.

Lutu rotated in at strong safety in UH’s first three games this season and practiced with the first unit as the Warriors (1-2) began preparations for Friday’s game at BYU (2-2).

Whether or not Lutu emerges from the competition with the first start of his college football career, UH defensive backs coach Daronte’ Jones said he will "definitely play a lot, regardless," when the Warriors face the Cougars in the nationally televised matchup in Provo, Utah.

After recording eight tackles in special teams duty last year, Lutu has 12 stops through three games and is savoring the chance to contribute on defense in his final year of college.

"I’ve learned over the years I have to really appreciate every opportunity," he said.

Coming out of Mercer Island High School in 2008, Lutu jumped at the opportunity to enroll at UH as an invited walk-on with the basketball team, and the time he devoted on the court retains some crossover value as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound safety.

"He has some awareness and moves pretty well, especially for his size," Jones said. "He’s probably as big as some of our (line)backers. When you have guys with that type of size who have some change of direction, it’s always a blessing."

Jones noted that Lutu posted a 41-inch vertical leap in offseason testing and said he often looks for a basketball background when recruiting defensive backs.

"I like to see them on the basketball court, because you have a lot of change of direction, sudden movements," Jones said. "Plus it’s mostly man-to-man — that’s what we do as defensive backs."

Where the ability to change direction is a valued trait on the field, Lutu has also worked to adjust to the new assignments in the Warriors’ defensive system and was awarded a scholarship during fall camp.

"He comes in for extra work, he’s always watching film, so that’s definitely helped in his growth," Jones said.

The Warriors have less prep time than usual heading into Friday’s game and the shorter week presents both challenges and advantages.

The schedule pushed the Warriors’ practice routines up a day. On the other hand, the turnaround allows little time to dwell on last Saturday’s 69-24 loss to Nevada in which the Warriors defense gave up 575 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 Wolf Pack possessions.

"Last week is history," said Lutu, who finished the game with five tackles. "It was a tough game; we’re not going to make any excuses; we know what we have to fix and what we need to do better, so we’re going to get back in there and continue to work.

"You can’t look back. You’re not going to get anywhere looking back."

The Warriors face a BYU offense that generated 200 yards, just 61 passing, in a 7-6 loss to Boise State last Thursday. But the Cougars still feature several of the playmakers who fueled their 41-20 win over the Warriors last December at Aloha Stadium, including 6-4 receiver Cody Hoffman and tight end Kaneakua Friel. Friel, a Kamehameha graduate, leads the Cougars with four touchdown receptions.

"They have some good players all over the place," Lutu said. "We’ll have our hands full again, but we’re embracing the challenge. … We’re going to continue to grind and we’re going to play hard."