Va‘a Niumatalolo’s last game as a college player — Nov. 25, 2017 at Aloha Stadium — marked the beginning of his move across the line in the rivalry between the Brigham Young and Hawaii football programs.

There is no doubt Niumatalolo’s loyalty rests with UH, where he is a graduate assistant, instead of BYU, where he was a linebacker.

“It will be interesting,” Niumatalolo said, referring to Tuesday’s SoFi Hawaii Bowl pairing the Cougars and Rainbow Warriors. “A lot of my good friends still play (for BYU). I love my friends and everything, but I want to beat them bad.”

Niumatalolo grew up with a unique perspective of BYU. His father, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, is a former UH quarterback, graduate assistant and assistant coach. “I remember my dad talking about (the rivalry),” Niumatalolo said.

The elder Niumatalolo was on the UH team that beat BYU in 1989 and 1990. That latter game came after BYU’s Ty Detmer won the award as college football’s top player earlier in the day.

“My dad always talked about the year they beat Ty Detmer when he won the Heisman,” Niumatalolo said.

That father-son conversation was kept in the family. Detmer was BYU’s offensive coordinator for the final two years of the younger Niumatalolo’s playing career.

“Coach Detmer is a great guy,” Niumatalolo said. “I love Coach Detmer. I never talked to him about (the 1990 game). I don’t bring those things up. It’s just, ‘yes, Coach.’ ”

Niumatalolo was 2 when his family moved from Hawaii to Annapolis, Md., after his father joined the Navy coaching staff. Growing up, he was “a Utah fan a little bit.” But the Utes did not make an offer his senior year of high school, and he eventually joined BYU as a preferred walk-on. A year later, Niumatalolo was on scholarship.

Niumatalolo is a member of the Mormon church, which administers BYU. He served a two-year mission in Utah, where 62 percent of the residents are LDS members, according to a 2018 poll. “You don’t have to worry about getting chased by tigers or anything like that,” mused Niumatalolo, referencing remote places where he could have been placed.

Back at BYU, he made friendships that lasted beyond his playing career. It was in 2018, his first year on the UH staff, when the Warriors struggled against the Cougars in Provo, Utah. Corbin Kaufusi, a 6-foot-9 rush end, had shifted to middle linebacker that game.

“It was weird because Corbin Kaufusi is standing in the middle, and (the UH coaches are) like, ‘(No.) 90 is killing us,’ ” Niumatalolo recalled. “He was the best man at my wedding. I’m, like, on the sidelines, cursing Corbin. I was talking so much trash that game. It’s hard to beat a 6-9 middle linebacker. He’s my best friend. That was weird.”

Niumatalolo, who assists offensive line coach Mark Weber, helps prepare the scout defense that practices against the Warriors’ top offensive units. In prepping for BYU, Niumatalolo relies on endless viewings of videos rather than two-year-old memories of the Cougars.

“It’s nothing you don’t see on film,” Niumtalolo said. “It’s faster for me to explain things. ‘Oh, yeah, this guy does this.’ It’s what they see on film. I don’t share with them, ‘Oh, this guy had a rough breakup last year.’ That’s personal stuff. But football-wise? Yeah.”

The Cougars and Niumatalolo still exchange playful texts.

“Me and Trajan Pili, one of their ends, have been talking trash,” Niumtalolo said. “It’s going back and forth. It’s fun. It’ll be fun to see them. I’m excited.”