LAS VEGAS — Depending on who you ask and the … ahem … topic of discussion, size matters, but that is case-sensitive when it comes to the realm of sports. Deuce Vaughn neither towers about nor does he fracture the concrete with his every step, but what the Dallas Cowboys’ former sixth-round pick can do is collect a defender’s ankles like charms on a Pandora bracelet.
Moreover, he’s added some noticeable power to his game, evidenced against the Las Vegas Raiders when, on one of his handoffs, the defender first made contact behind the line of scrimmage but Vaughn unleashed some eye-opening power to move through several defenders to turn the potential loss into a gain.
Well, that’s new, but it’s not a coincidence.
“It’s a testament to all of the work I’ve put in over [the course of] this offseason,” said Vaughn following the victory at Allegiant Stadium. “Some of the things I wanted to do was to get a little bit bigger, and to get a little bit stronger in between the tackles because, in this league, that’s where the hay is made: those four-yard runs, those five-yard runs.
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Easily the quickest and most shifty running back on the Cowboys’ roster, Vaughn has clearly added a power element to his skill set — making it more challenging for those who believe he’ll be an easy takedown if ever they’re able to get their hands on him.
“I wanted to be more powerful to put the offense in better situations on second and third down,” he said. “It’s one of those things I wanted to work on in the offseason, so to be able to come out here and put this down as a foundation is huge.”
Having missed the previous several practices, one scrimmage against the Los Angeles Rams and then the preseason opener that followed, due to a hamstring injury — the first time he’s been sidelined by that type of injury in his football career — it was paramount Vaughn have a strong outing in Las Vegas.
As it turns out, the house didn’t win against him.
He led the Cowboys with 34 rushing yards on only five handoffs for a game-high average of 6.8 yards per carry and created a mixed highlight reel that showcased elusiveness and strength.
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“For myself, I felt like missing last week because of the hamstring, I wanted to come out and show what I can do,” Vaughn said. “Can’t take all the credit. The O-line did a great job up front. Trey [Lance] did a great job of keeping us under control in the huddle.
“I just wanted to go out there and showcase what I can do — is the biggest thing for myself.”
There was yet another reason for Vaughn to wear an ear-to-ear grin against the Raiders, and that’s the fact it marked the first time he and Cooper Beebe have been on the field at the same time since their days together at Kansas State.
Vaughn departed for the Cowboys in 2023 and Beebe just one year later, and the two former Wildcats are reunited; and it felt so good as their chemistry picked up right where it left off.
“It was huge, man,” said Vaughn of running behind Beebe for Dallas. “We were in the huddle and he called out the down and distance, and I looked up and saw him standing right there and I was like, ‘Man, it’s been a minute.’ It was real cool to be out there with him.
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“He’s a fantastic O-lineman and a fantastic person as well, so whenever he got drafted here, and now I’m playing with him again in the preseason, it’s really cool.”
Beebe excelled in his first unofficial start for the Cowboys, and against the Raiders’ first-team for most of his reps at center, dirting/pancaking several defenders and clearing a path for Vaughn to do his work.
Now it’s about replicating and/or building upon that success in the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers in the familiar confines of AT&T Stadium.
“That power, and hopefully have some opportunities to show off some pass protection going into this next week — just shoring up all the question marks that were given to me going into this offseason,” Vaughn said of his plans going forward.
It appears he’s hellbent on cutting some of his biggest doubters down to size in 2024.
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas star guard Luka Doncic returned to the lineup on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup game against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing the Mavericks’ previous game because of a right knee contusion.
The Mavericks go in on a two-game winning streak following a four-game losing streak. Their most recent win came at Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City on Sunday night, 121-119, the first game that Doncic has missed this season.
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In his previous outing last Saturday, Doncic played a season-low 28 minutes in a 110-93 home win over San Antonio and scored 16 points — one more than his season low. He sat out the final eight minutes with the Mavericks comfortably ahead.
Doncic won last season’s NBA scoring title, averaging 33.9 points per game, to go with 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He’s averaging 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, when asked before Tuesday’s game about Doncic’s lower averages, said, “He has shown that he’s human. (Averages of) 28, eight and eight – you sign up for that all day long.”
Every other year, the Aurora Biennial transforms Dallas into a dazzling display of lights, video and music. This year was special because it was the first time the event took play in-person since 2018. The free public event turned the Dallas Public Library, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas City Hall and other buildings into art installations with the theme “FuturePresentPast.”
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns to extend his TD streak to six games since coming back from injury, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score, and the Texans beat the Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.
The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak of CJ Stroud’s young career while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.
Houston pulled away in the second-half a week after a 26-23 last-play loss to Detroit at home, when the Texans let a 23-7 half-time lead get away from them.
“It’s not as bad as it ever seems, and it’s never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said. “Those type of games, you have to come out with a win, especially going up like that at the half [against the Lions]. But what are we going to do about it?”
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Amid a woeful season for the Cowboys (3-7) on the field, debris fell from their stadium’s retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game. There was no delay and no injuries were reported, just another mishap to foreshadow a fifth consecutive defeat for a team that lost five games total in each of the past three seasons.
Cooper Rush threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin but lost his second start since Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury.
The Dallas losing streak is their longest since a seven-game skid in 2015, and the Cowboys dropped to 0-5 at home. Dallas are the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season’s wildcard playoff loss to Green Bay, according to Sportradar. The Cowboys had reached the playoffs in each of their previous three seasons, but that run is all but over.
“Well, they better be frustrated,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there’d be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. And that’s the only way I’ve ever done it.”
The Cowboys were down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush’s hand. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught it and was trying to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose again. Barnett scooped up the ball and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds.
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“The play he made really changed for game for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”
Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have pulled within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for slapping Terence Steele on the rush. Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush’s fourth-down pass from the Houston eight-yard line was incomplete on the only good scoring chance of the second half for the the Cowboys.
“The defense played with elite energy,” Ryans said. “One big play that we gave up. Like to have that one back, but overall I think our guys played really well.”
Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a screen pass 77 yards to the end zone on the first play of the game, only to have it called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.
That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon’s 45-yard sprint up the middle, and he ran wide for a one-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing on the day and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.
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“I really love that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it got called back, I just told all our guys, ‘We can go score on these guys again. Just get it in your mind we’re going to score again.’”
Already without Prescott, the Cowboys lost tight end Jake Ferguson to a concussion and perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith to ankle injuries. Rush was sacked five times, three on the same possession when Martin and Smith were injured.
Stroud, who has been in a mini-slump, threw for 257 yards while avoiding any mistakes after an early interception on fourth down. It was the third time in five games he has gone without a touchdown pass, and he has two TDs and three picks in that stretch.
Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.
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