HONOLULU — BYU coach Kalani Sitake never thought he’d see it in Dayan Ghanwoloku.

No, not the standout senior season from the former Northridge running back-turned-safety-turned-cornerback-turned-safety-again. Not the 205 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 10.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a touchdown scored — yes, on offense, as a running back, no less.

No, Sitake merely looked over at his 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior defensive back before the Cougars’ final game of Ghanwoloku's career Tuesday in the SoFi Hawaii Bowl (6 p.m. MST, ESPN), and commented that he was a little surprised — grateful, really, but surprised no less — to see Ghanwoloku where he was, eloquently and passionately talking to the media, a face of the program and an ambassador for BYU.

Sure, the senior has grown on the football field, and likely has a professional future in front of him. But there’s more to BYU than grooming football players, and Ghanwoloku has grown personally, spiritually and academically in his four years at BYU. That was the heart of Sitake’s reflection.

That’s maybe what surprised him the most since the former four-star prospect by Scout.com and top-50 cornerback recruit arrived on BYU’s campus prior to his freshman year in 2016.

Because if you ask Ghanwoloku himself, he’ll tell you he hasn’t changed a bit.

“I’m still the same me,” he said Monday during the pre-bowl game press conference with Sitake and wide receiver Micah Simon. “Like coach said, I’ve matured a lot. But thanks to him, because he’s given us seniors the keys to the team. We’ve taken charge over ourselves to lead summer workouts and lead the team, without the coaches being there.

“They’ve got a lot to worry about, with media and all that, too, so we try to take care of the team ourselves. I couldn’t ask for more; that’s what has helped me grow the most: coach giving us the keys, and helping us lead ourselves.”

Ghanwoloku will be a key defender against the Cougars’ final opponent, Hawaii, the host team playing the role of visitor in their own Aloha Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors feature the No. 6-rated passing offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, averaging 7.76 yards per attempt, 325.9 yards per game, and 38 touchdowns with just 17 interceptions.

It starts with Cole McDonald, the ‘Bows dread-locked quarterback who is just the third Hawaii player all-time to throw for 3,000 or more yards in multiple seasons. The All-Mountain West second-team award winner has thrown for 3,642 yards and 29 touchdowns and ranks fourth in the school’s passing yardage history, behind Bryant Moniz (10,169), Colt Brennan (14,193) and Timmy Chang (17,072).

That’s pretty good company.

And Ghanwoloku and the BYU defense will be tasked to stop it.

“I think the offense really starts with their quarterback,” BYU linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi said. “He’s got 3,600 yards passing this year, and he’s a stud. He’s really tall and lanky, and he gets the offense going. I think last year, we could dominate them because we understood that he is their role player. That’s just how their offense is.”

Hawaii Bowl notebook

Rainbow Warriors the visitors for postseason home bout with BYU

The Hawaii Bowl isn’t like a normal home game for the University of Hawaii (9-5).

The Cougars are 23-8 all-time against Hawaii, a series that dates back nearly 100 years and powered through a strong conference rivalry in the old Western Athletic Conference. That includes a 49-23 win a year ago in Provo, a win that capped a five-game win streak in the series.

“I just need our team to perform at its best, and to have fun,” Sitake said. “I know Hawaii will be ready, and we’ll be ready as well. Whatever happens, happens.”

How to watch, stream, listen

SoFi Hawaii Bowl: BYU (7-5) vs. Hawai’i (9-5)

When: Tuesday, Dec. 24

Kickoff: 6 p.m. MST

Where: Aloha Stadium (50,000)

TV: ESPN (Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich)

Streaming: WatchESPN

Radio: BYU Radio, KSL 1160 AM / 102.7 FM (Greg Wrubell, Riley Nelson, Mitchell Juergens)

Series record: BYU leads 23-8

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