Justus Tavai: DL · San Diego State · #91.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Justus Tavai
Wins the gap play after play. The four seasons span two programs and three head coaches: Nick Rolovich, Todd Graham and Brady Hoke. One game to point at: 5 tackles against Air Force — Week 13, 2022.
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
34 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | San Diego State | 34 | 16 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | Hawai'i | 35 | 20 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Hawai'i | 35 | 18 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Hawai'i | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 106 | 56 | 15.0 | 7.5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2022 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 20-38vs Arizona | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-7vs Idaho State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 7-35@ No. 14 Utah | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 17-14vs Toledo | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 16-14vs Hawai'i | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 23-7@ Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 28-32@ Fresno State | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 14-10vs UNLV | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 43-27vs San José State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 34-10@ New Mexico | 5 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 13 | L 3-13vs Air Force | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 23-25vs Middle Tennessee | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 16 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 |
Week 12 · 2022
W 34-10
at New Mexico
1 sack · 2.5 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
Dominant 24-point win on the road against New Mexico.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
15%5 TFLSack rate
10%4 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries34 tackles · 5 for loss · 3.5 sacks · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2022 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Brady Hoke
Pass share
42.5%
341 pass / 462 run
Plays / game
61.8
13 games
Team sack rate
5.9%
370 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2022
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #16 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons, at Hawai'i and San Diego State, 8 sacks — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2018–2022
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Nick Rolovich, Todd Graham and Brady Hoke.
