Unplug Las Vegas, and it is an 83-square-mile area in the Mojave Desert where the only Mirage is a 3,044-room casino resort.

“Vegas heat is so hot it hurts,” said Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu, who was born and reared in Las Vegas. The city averages 78 days of 100-plus-degree weather.

Laulu recalled the dog days of summer while growing up in Vegas. “Dog’s not outside, dog’s inside,” he said. “Dog’s hiding in the shade. You can’t even walk your dogs during the day. It’ll burn their paws.”

In football, Laulu remembered, “by the end of the season, my cleats were flat. They were like shoes. It was melting. … That dry wind is like a blow dryer blowing on you all day. Sometimes it’s like 90 degrees at night. I’m definitely rocking Hawaii’s weather.”

Laulu has proven he can take the heat — temperature wise and metaphorically — in developing into one of the Warriors’ most impactful defenders. He has team highs in sacks (four) and quarterback hurries (27).

“He’s doing a good job,” said head coach Todd Graham, who also serves as defensive coordinator.

Several family members and friends will watch Laulu in Saturday’s road game against UNLV in Allegiant Stadium. “I can’t wait,” Laulu said.

Laulu appears to have found a home on the defensive line after shuttling sides since joining the Warriors in 2018. “It’s crazy because I came here wanting to play offense, then I switched to defense,” Laulu said. “Then I was in defensive mode, and switched to offense.”

Laulu was a defensive end for all eight regular-season games in 2020. But in the New Mexico Bowl, he moved to tight end, where he scored a touchdown. In training camp, Stanford transfer Caleb Phillips emerged as an efficient tight end. “Coach Graham wanted me back on defense,” Laulu said. “He wanted me to focus on defense because he felt that’s where I’m more dominant.”

At 6 feet 6 and 260 pounds, Laulu has the speed to bracket the edge or zero in on the quarterback. His long reach obscures the passing lane to the flats. Laulu also can mix it up as an interior-line defender. This season, Laulu has aligned as a defensive end, boundary end, 3-technique tackle and nose tackle.

“He’s very talented to do that,” Graham said of Laulu’s ability to play multiple positions.

While Laulu is a menace in the trenches, he embraces a calm demeanor elsewhere. “I hate being mad,” Laulu said. “I feel being mad takes too much energy. It’s better to be calm and cool and content so you can make smart decisions. I try to be cool and happy. You only live once. You don’t want 30 seconds to ruin your whole day.”

He often tells jokes or offers encouragement to teammates.

“You never know what people are struggling with internally in their head,” Laulu said. “That’s why I always try to be upbeat, try to be happy, and put a smile on people’s faces. I find joy in making someone else smile.”

He anticipates wide-spread enthusiasm for Saturday’s game in the stadium that UNLV shares with the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I’m pumped,” Laulu said. “It’s going to be one heck of a trip. When we played UNLV last time (in 2019), it was like a home game. It was a sea of green. We had more fans than UNLV. I know there are a lot of Hawaii people who want to go to Vegas — not to gamble, of course — but to watch us, of course. Our game is in the middle of the day. They can watch our game and go gamble afterward or whatever.”