When Hawaii last played Boise State, John Hardy-Tuliau was fresh out of high school and just getting acquainted with college football.

When the teams meet again on Saturday at Aloha Stadium, he’ll be one of the few UH veterans with first-hand knowledge of lining up against the Broncos.

Hardy-Tuliau earned playing time in the UH secondary as a true freshman in 2010 and traveled with the Warriors to Boise, Idaho, where they endured a 44-7 loss to the then-second ranked Broncos.

"It was a good experience. I learned a lot from playing them and from that season," Hardy-Tuliau said.

Most of Boise State’s top performers from that game have moved on, quarterback Kellen Moore and running back Doug Martin among them. Hardy-Tuliau, now a junior safety, is part of a short list of UH players who saw extended action that afternoon and will again in Saturday’s matchup.

"They have a good running offense but it’s the same Boise," Hardy-Tuliau said. "They’ll spread you out, too; get four receivers out there, throw the ball around quick, try to make a move and make you miss."

When they last met, Boise State and Hawaii were contending for the Western Athletic Conference title and ended up sharing the crown with Nevada.

Boise State left to join the Mountain West Conference last year and UH joined the league this season. While Boise State (7-2, 4-1 MWC) is still in the running to finish atop the league, despite a home loss to San Diego State last week, UH (1-7, 0-5) is searching for its first league win and looking to end a six-game losing streak.

"This season has been tough, but we’ve always stuck together throughout this whole year," Hardy-Tuliau said.

Along with bringing experience to the UH secondary, Hardy-Tuliau is one of the unit’s more versatile members. He’s started games at three spots in the secondary, three at free safety, one at cornerback and the past two at strong safety.

"He’s that swing guy for us," UH defensive backs coach Daronte’ Jones said. "He gives that flexibility."

With Mike Edwards, who hurt his shoulder last week, expected to be available at cornerback, Hardy-Tuliau should be able to concentrate solely on safety this week.

Hardy-Tuliau primarily played nickel back as a freshman when he posted five tackles for losses and forced three fumbles. He started all 13 games last season at free safety and tied for the team lead with three interceptions.

His seven tackles last week in a loss at Fresno State was a season high. He also snagged his first interception this season.

"It felt good to get that in and hopefully it continues," Hardy-Tuliau said.

Hardy-Tuliau said going without an interception wasn’t on his mind much before the game, "but when the ball was in there air it was. I wanted to make the play and come down with it."

Although Hardy-Tuliau has the most game experience of the UH defensive backs, the change in defensive systems has been a learning experience for the entire group this season.

"He’s a veteran in the sense of years," Jones said, "but as far as schematically, they’re all even."

Two years after breaking into the lineup, Hardy-Tuliau is now playing beside another true freshman in the secondary, Marrell Jackson, who has started the past three games at free safety.

Jackson ranks second on the team with 31 tackles and has forced two fumbles. Hardy-Tuliau’s assessment of the newcomer echoes the comments he drew at the same stage in his career.

"He has good instincts out there when he’s on the field," Hardy-Tuliau said. "I like that in him, and he comes downhill and makes some plays."