A moment for John Hardy-Tuliau to reminisce seems fitting in the week leading up to "Retro Night" at Aloha Stadium.

No, the University of Hawaii safety hasn’t been around since the throw-back uniforms the Rainbow Warriors will sport on Saturday were initially in style. But he has seen more field time than any current member of the roster as he approaches the end of a college career dating back to the program’s last championship season.

Since joining the team in 2010, Hardy-Tuliau has played in all 48 games with a team-high 41 starts entering Saturday’s Mountain West Conference contest with San Diego State, cycling from a green freshman to the secondary’s senior member.

"I played almost every DB position, I’ve grown and learned a lot from people like (former UH safeties) Spencer Smith and Richard Torres and from the old coaching staff to this coaching staff … and it helped me grow a lot as a football player and as a person," Hardy-Tuliau said.

Hardy-Tuliau is one of two remaining players who were in the Warriors’ starting unit for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann is the other) after UH captured a share of the Western Athletic Conference title in 2010. As a senior, his 48 total tackles ranks fifth on the team and second among a group of defensive backs that includes two sophomores and two freshmen on the two-deep.

Hardy-Tuliau returns for his penultimate appearance at Aloha Stadium coming off a two-game road trip in which he twice matched his career high with 10 tackles in losses to Utah State and Navy.

He recorded his second career sack last week at Navy and appeared to come down with his first interception of the season in the third quarter. Instead, a debatable roughing-the-passer penalty negated the play, and Navy converted the turnabout into a touchdown on its way to dropping UH to 0-9 with three games left on the schedule.

The sequence seemed to encapsulate the Rainbow Warriors’ frustrations this season, as they continue to search for that elusive first win.

"That’s football," Hardy-Tuliau said. "It’s tough, sometimes it doesn’t go your way. So we just gotta not worry about that and keep fighting and keep working hard.

"This type of season (with) the outcomes in the games, it’s hard. But you have to come together as a team and see where your leaders are and trust in your coaches and keep on fighting."

Facing San Diego State (5-4, 4-1 MWC) this week also brings reminders of home for Hardy-Tuliau, who grew up in Temecula, Calif., and has friends and former Vista Murrieta High School teammates on the Aztecs’ roster.

Coming out of high school, special teams represented the entry point to playing time early in Hardy-Tuliau’s career, and he could get a shot at returning punts this week with Scott Harding recovering from a bruised thigh. Samson Anguay is also one of the top punt-return candidates, and Hardy-Tuliau said he feels comfortable with the duty if called upon.

"I’ve always been the one rushing, but I’ve done it in high school a little bit and in practice out here," said Hardy-Tuliau, who has worked on catching punts in practice throughout the season.

Hardy-Tuliau distinguished himself with his kick-blocking ability when he arrived on campus, and he’s stuffed seven in his career — starting with a pivotal field-goal block against Army in 2010 — though he’s still hunting his first of this season.

"I’ve been close a lot, it’s about time to get one," said Hardy-Tuliau, who very well could have been referring to the team’s collective focus. "I’m going to keep going hard."

Leaving with a win on Saturday will depend heavily on the UH defense — which is giving up just over 37 points and 470 yards per game — getting off the field with greater consistency after Utah State and Navy converted on a combined 53 percent on third downs the past two weeks.

The UH secondary will be tested by a San Diego State receiving corps led by Ezell Ruffin, who enters the week with 50 receptions and averages 17 yards per catch. Running back Adam Muema has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last three games with seven touchdowns in that stretch.