In the week following the blowout 55-19 loss to Baylor, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham took accountability and focused on correcting the small things.
Among those issues, the production from the Sun Devil offensive line needed improvement.
Coming into the game, the ASU offensive line allowed an average of 8.75 pressures a game, tied for third worst in the Big 12, per Arizona Sports' Damon Allred.
However, against Hawaii, the offensive line opened holes for freshman running back Cardae Mack and kept junior quarterback Cutter Boley off the ground.
Hawaii only pressured Boley two times and recorded a single sack. In return, Boley completed 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Mack, a true freshman who turned 19 on game day, had a career day.
Midway through the first quarter, Boley got the scoring started for ASU as he found senior wide receiver Reed Harris for an 18-yard touchdown. On the next trip to the red zone, the offensive line and Mack imposed their will.
Sitting on the 1-yard line, running out of the wildcat formation, sophomore right guard Rob Lapuaho pulled around and set the edge, setting Mack up for an easy walk-in touchdown.
Mack finished the day with 154 rushing yards, as the Sun Devils racked up a total 231 yards on the ground.
Postgame, Mack credited the team and their work in practice for his performance.
"Everybody did their part, I've been just practicing hard, doing everything right in practice," Mack said. "It's just paying off."
Throughout the game, the offensive line helped maintain a consistent 7.7 rush yards per carry, while allowing just five stuffed runs across all four quarters.
Then, as the end of the third quarter approached, the offensive line finally saw an explosive run play reward their efforts.
READ MORE: ASU's victory over Hawaii looks to get Sun Devils back on track
After being pinned back on their own 4-yard line, a pair of rushes from Mack moved the Sun Devils to the 17-yard line, before a 16-yard rush moved the ball to the 33. To highlight the career day, Mack took the next carry 67 yards all the way to the end zone.
Post-game, Dillingham said he was impressed by the offensive line and run game, and the team will have to continue to do that well as the season goes on.
"We're moving the O-line around, there's some ins and outs. I thought Makua (Pule) did an awesome job tonight," Dillingham said. "I thought we ran the ball well tonight, which is something that we have to be able to do if we want to win football games."
As ASU picked up its third win of the season, there were still some frustrations from the fans about the offense.
Coming into the game, the now 1-5 Rainbow Warriors allowed an average of 158 rushing yards per game and only forced nine sacks. While the Sun Devil offensive line unit showed improvement, there have been expectations to play this way, if not better.
In the fourth quarter, after an ASU drive ended in a punt following a failed third-and-short, some of the remaining Sun Devil faithful booed the offense off the field.
While ASU approaches Week 7, Dillingham understood the frustration but also wants fans to know the team is still growing.
"Fans are going to cheer and they're going to boo, that's what it is, that's their job," he said. "There's going to be highs and lows, I'm sorry, that's part of it, I wish it could never happen, but it's gonna happen, and the goal is to get better every single day."
With seven straight Big 12 games on the horizon, ASU looks to grow as a unit. Their next opponent, the reigning Big 12 Champions Texas Tech, allows only an average of 91 rushing yards and 16.2 points per game, fourth- and fifth-best in the conference.
If the Sun Devils want to turn an early 3-2 start to the season into something to remember, the turning point could be behind Mack and the offensive line in Lubbock on Oct. 17.
Edited by Alex Swift, Carsten Oyer and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at badams41@asu.edu.
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Bryan Adams is a graduate student and sports reporter at The State Press. He has previously worked with the Arizona Daily Sun and NAU's school paper, the Lumberjack. This is his first semester with The State Press.
