Hawaii Will be Without Top Linebacker Logan Taylor vs. Oregon Ducks in Week 3

The Hawaii defense will face its toughest challenge of the young season in week 3.

Jacob Yoro's group will be tasked with slowing down the highest-scoring offense in college football on Saturday when the Rainbow Warriors face quarterback Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks, who are averaging 59.5 points per game.

It's going to be an uphill battle for the Rainbow Warriors defense, which will be without top linebacker Logan Taylor. Head coach Timmy Chang announced earlier this week that the senior backer, who was leading the team in tackles with 21, had torn his ACL in Hawaii's week 2 win over the University at Albany.

"The sad thing thing about it is that you lose your spiritual-- one of your emotional and team captain and leaders on this defense," the head coach said of losing Taylor. "We got good players in that room and Coach CB (Chris Brown) will coach 'em up and get 'em right."

Hawaii's defense isn't off to a strong start this season, giving up more than 30 points in two of its three games.

With Taylor out for the year, senior Isaiah Tufaga looks to be the next man up to lead the linebacker room. He started seven games last season and have 17 tackles and 2 sacks so far in 2023.

Chang knows that being without one of his top players will change the team's defense, but he's confident that those behind him will step up in his absence.

"But we have a team of guys that want to play, want to get the ball, they want to make tackles," he said. "We just need them doing the right things. That's the message is consistency.

"You lose a consistent guy that you know that would be reliable there in those situations--make a lot of tackles, get guys lined up correctly, play physical. You lose a guy like that, it'll be different, but I expect the guys in the room to pick it up."

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