The Dallas Cowboys managed to scrape a win on Christmas Day against the Washington Commanders in a game that got close, closer than what some fans would have preferred. But how did the Cowboys rookie class perform during the divisional victory? Let’s take a look.
Washington
Washington propels Baylor football past TCU, 37-34 – The Baylor Lariat
By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor, Braden Murray | LTVN Sports Director
Ten years from kicker Chris Callahan’s historic last-second game-winning field goal to knock off TCU 61-58, redshirt junior kicker Isaiah Hankins replicated the magic with a 33-yard field goal as time expired to help Baylor football knock off their in-state rival, 37-34, on Saturday night at McLane Stadium.
With the 2013 and 2014 Big 12 Championship teams in attendance and a blackout in full effect, head coach Dave Aranda led Baylor (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) to its first win against the Horned Frogs (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) since 2019, and the first home win against them since Oct. 11, 2014, when the Callahan called game.
“This is a game, if it was a couple weeks ago, we lose this game. And it did seem in this one that at times, you were finding ways to lose the game,” Aranda said. “We were able to overcome those opportune times and fight for a win. And I think that’s something that has to be learned.”
The Bears were led by redshirt freshman running back Bryson Washington, who finished with 26 carries for 196 yards and four touchdowns. Washington became the first player to score four or more rushing touchdowns in a game since Terrance Ganaway scored five in the Alamo Bowl against Washington on Dec. 29, 2011.
“I really think it was the O-line. They were working hard today, and everything was just opened up,” Washington said. “I saw the end zone, and it was like, I gotta get to it every time.”
After a pair of punts, the Horned Frogs opened up the scoring as sophomore quarterback Josh Hoover connected with freshman wide receiver Jordyn Bailey for a one-handed touchdown grab. The 8-yard score was steamrolled into momentum for Hoover, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington evened the game on the next drive, as a free kick out of bounds set up the Bears for a 10-play, 65-yard drive. The redshirt freshman took six carries on the drive and swerved through a gap made by redshirt sophomore center Coleton Price and redshirt junior left guard Ryan Lengyel to score an 8-yard touchdown with 1:48 in the first quarter.
Penalties forced each team to punt on their ensuing drives, but Washington found a rhythm again with 8:50 in the second quarter. With three runs, which landed the Bears a first down, Washington took his fourth carry of the drive, juked past multiple defenders and erupted up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown.
“I thought Bryson Washington had a great game. I thought O-line-wise, we were able to be really physical and move the line of scrimmage,” Aranda said. “We’re getting movement and Bryson’s running hard. So, it’s good for the Bears.”
Hankins missed the extra point, so Baylor held a 13-7 lead before sending the ball back to TCU. The Horned Frogs made the most out of the rest of the half as Hoover rushed for a touchdown, and freshman kicker Kyle Lemmermann knocked in a couple of field goals to give the visitors a 20-13 lead at halftime.
“The mindset was thinking back to when we were all younger and watching games like this. This is the moment you want to be in,” said redshirt sophomore linebacker Keaton Thomas. “Unfortunately, we didn’t maximize it, but that was the goal: to maximize it, be thankful for the moment, and take advantage of it.”
Returning in the second-half kickoff, redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson struggled to find time to throw and was sacked on third-and-9. For the first time this season, Robertson went without a touchdown pass but finished with 242 passing yards on 19 of 34 attempts. The quarterback also tallied nine carries for 28 yards.
“[Sawyer] really just made a statement and let everyone know we are going to win the game on offense. And that’s really what happened,” redshirt junior wide receiver Josh Cameron said. “It really didn’t matter [that] we didn’t throw a touchdown because my boy, B-Wash, was just doing his thing. I think that’s just a testament to [Sawyer’s] character because at the end of the day, he’s happy because we won the game.”
Sophomore running back Dawson Pendergrass, who set career-highs against Oklahoma State a week prior, started in the second half and recorded eight carries for 33 yards. Pendergrass pulled the Bears back to even with 5:09 in the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run to snap TCU’s 13-0 run.
Minutes later, Hoover and senior wide receiver Jack Bech marched down the field and pulled back ahead. Bech’s 6-yard touchdown reception with 0:23 in the third quarter came off the arm of senior wide receiver Savion Williams. Williams took the snap and rushed to the far side before hopping and tossing the ball over his head to Bech in the end zone. Williams led TCU on the ground and in the air with eight rushes for 57 rushing yards and eight receptions for 92 yards to go along with his touchdown pass.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Baylor trailed 27-20, but a 27-yard competition from Robertson to Cameron set up a 35-yard touchdown rush for Washington.
Looking to find a knockout blow, TCU marched to midfield. On third-and-6, sixth-year senior linebacker Matt Jones quickly wrapped up a Horned Frog after a short pass. With a fourth-and-2 play on the horizon, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes trotted out the punting unit.
“I mean, we need to get better,” Aranda said when reflecting on the defense’s play. “You’d like to win by playing well in the secondary, and not win in spite of how you played. And so that’s a definite improvement we need to make.”
With the ball at their own 19-yard line, the green and gold marched 81 yards in 13 plays. Robertson completed passes to senior wide receivers Hal Presley and Ashtyn Hawkins before pounding the rock with Washington. However, prior to a fourth-and-2 play, the Horned Frogs called time out.
Although they came up with a gameplan, Robertson lunged for the first down and the Bears kept rolling. Robertson completed a pass to redshirt junior tight end Michael Trigg to put Baylor in the red zone. On second-and-two from the TCU 6-yard line, Robertson kept the ball and dove for the right pilon but took a shot to his leg and came up just short.
Needing only inches to take the lead, the gunslinger handed the ball to Washington, who punched the ball from a yard out at 4:54 in the fourth quarter.
Leading 34-27, TCU marched back down the field and Bech found himself wide open on a 24-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field to tie the game with 1:55 left in the game.
With a tie game, Washington took four carries and Robertson completed a pass to put Baylor at the TCU 44-yard line, setting up a fourth-and-9. Keeping the offense out there, Dykes called timeout and Robertson made the Horned Frogs pay, completing a 15-yard pass to Trigg.
“It was huge. We got the play call in, and I was mid-route. I look over, and Trigg makes the catch,” Cameron said. “[I felt] just pure joy, pure excitement.”
With just 16 seconds left in the game, Robertson handed the ball to Washington, who was carried by the offensive line from the 29-yard line to the 16-yard line.
“All I could think about, honestly, when I was running the ball, when an O-linemen got behind me start pushing me, is, let me fall to the ground. Let me follow the ground so the clock wouldn’t expire. I wasn’t really worried about getting too many yards,” Washington said.
After timeouts by both teams, five seconds remained on the clock, and Hankins drilled a 33-yard field goal to give the Bears a 37-34 victory. As Baylor players rushed toward Hankins and lifted him on their shoulders, fans pounced out of the stands and rushed the field in support.
“I think that, for the students, and I think just fans in general — and I understand there’s a prove-it thing, and, I can understand that. And from the players thing, it’s like, are we good enough? Are these moments too big? Can we do this? ” Aranda said. “And so, to [see] everyone get past all of that on either side and just be one team. It’s pretty cool.”
The Bears hit their second bye week of the season next week and will be back in action on Nov. 16 against West Virginia (4-4, 3-2 Big 12) at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The Mountaineers will be on the road against Cincinnati next weekend before returning home to host Baylor.
Mariota, who is dealing with a cut on his throwing hand and a quad injury, was considered doubtful to play in Week 18, Quinn said earlier in the week, and has not practiced since sustaining his injuries. Josh Johnson is set to make his second start to close out the Commanders’ season.
(Game stats- Snaps: 92, Pass Blocks: 49, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 2, Penalties: 1)
Booker turned in another heavy-workload performance against Washington on Christmas Day, playing all 92 offensive snaps and earning a 74.6 overall grade, one of the better marks on the Cowboys’ offense in the 30–23 win. Dallas leaned hard on the interior run game, piling up 211 rushing yards and repeatedly gashing the middle of the Commanders’ front. Booker was a big part of those double teams and combo blocks with Cooper Beebe, helping Malik Davis and Javonte Williams stay on schedule and letting Brian Schottenheimer live in fourth-and-short territory.
It wasn’t a clean day in protection for the unit as a whole. Dak Prescott was sacked six times and hit repeatedly, with rookie phenom Jer’Zhan Newton racking up three sacks and five QB hits as Washington generated 19 total pressures. Interior pressure was prominent in postgame breakdowns, so Booker clearly had some rough snaps dealing with Newton’s quickness and power on games and stunts, even if not every sack can be laid at his feet.
One blemish on his night was an early bad penalty flagged on Booker on the opening drive, which, paired with a sack, put the offense behind the chains before they worked their way back into scoring range. To his credit, the moment didn’t snowball. He settled in, and as the game wore on his physicality in the run game helped Dallas salt away clock on multiple long marches in the second half.
(Game stats- Snaps: 39, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)
Ezeiruaku had one of his quietest games of the season against Washington, more solid in assignment than impactful on the stat sheet. He was on the field for just 26 defensive snaps off the edge and registered only one total tackle with zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, and one total pressure. With the Cowboys generating only two sacks and three quarterback hits as a team and still allowing 8.6 yards per play and 138 rushing yards on just 17 carries, this was clearly not a night where the front consistently lived in the Commanders’ backfield.
Through this week, PFF has Ezeiruaku at a 76.4 overall grade with 35 total pressures on 580 snaps, ranking him among the league’s better rookie edge defenders. Pre-game advanced scouting had highlighted his recent 25% pass-rush win rate and 12% pressure rate over the previous month, even though that stretch produced hits rather than sacks. Against Washington, that underlying disruption never really showed up in the box score. He finished the game in a low-impact role while others, notably Jadeveon Clowney and Quinnen Williams, handled the actual finishing on Josh Johnson.
(Game stats- Snaps: 42, Total Tackles: 6, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 0, RTG Allowed: 109.7)
Revel’s Christmas Day against Washington was another bumpy outing in what has become a tough rookie year, and it ended in a way that almost certainly pushes his focus to 2026. PFF graded him at 50.1 overall, the third-worst mark on the Cowboys’ defense, with of 43.0 against the run, 33.5 in tackling and 59.4 in coverage. On the coverage side of things, he was targeted six times and allowed four catches for 84 yards, his second straight game giving up 80-plus yards, as Washington repeatedly found space on his side of the field. The tackling issues that have dogged him all season showed up again too, he’s now credited with eight missed tackles (18.6%) on the year, and open-field whiffs in this game turned short gains into bigger plays.
Midway through the second half he took a blow to the head, walked off slowly and did not return. Postgame reports confirmed he’s been placed in the concussion protocol, with the team acknowledging he faces an uphill battle to be cleared for Week 18. With only one game left and nothing to play for in the standings, there’s a good argument for Dallas to shut him down, effectively ending his rookie season so he can recover fully and attack 2026. That might be the wisest move given his backdrop coming off an ACL tear, missing the entire offseason program, camp, preseason and a big chunk of the regular season.
(Game stats- Snaps: 36, Total Tackles: 6 TFL: 0, Sacks: 0)
James finally looked like a real part of the defensive plan against Washington, not just a special-teams body. He played 36 defensive snaps, his heaviest load in weeks, and he responded with six total tackles, tied among Dallas’ leaders on the night. He didn’t register a sack, tackle for loss, or any takeaways, and he stayed out of the penalty column, so his stat line is all about volume rather than splash. The Commanders ran only 41 offensive plays but still churned out 138 rushing yards thanks in large part to Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 72-yard touchdown. James spent most of the evening in clean-up mode by fitting inside runs, rallying to Johnson’s checkdowns and helping get bodies on the ground after chunk gains rather than creating those big negative plays himself.
It’s fair to be harsh on the linebacker group as a whole, especially Kenneth Murray, and calling the heavy dose of Murray and James ugly against the run is also a fair criticism as Washington found creases between the tackles. On film, it’s a mixed bag for James, he was active and around the ball, but there were snaps where he got caught in traffic or arrived a beat late on cutbacks, contributing to a run defense that gave up far too much on a low play count. At the same time, this game underlined why Dallas has been nudging his role upward as he handled a starter-level snap share without blowing assignments, and his six stops push his season totals into genuine starter territory.
The best way to call James’ game is it was a busy but imperfect outing. James was heavily involved, did enough to look like a viable long-term piece, but he was also part of a front seven that made Washington’s ground game look more efficient than it should have.
(Game stats- Snaps: 18, Total Tackles: 1
*Snap count are all special team snaps*
Clark’s Christmas Day against Washington was another quiet but functional special-teams outing. He didn’t log any defensive snaps, with his entire workload coming in the kicking game as a core coverage and return-unit player. On those snaps he made one tackle and didn’t factor into any of the big swings. For a depth safety in his role, that kind of you didn’t notice him performance is basically neutral. He did his assignment work on special teams, avoided hurting the Cowboys in a game where field position and explosive runs were already a problem, but didn’t provide the kind of momentum-changing play that would jump off the tape going into 2026.
(Game stats- Snaps: 15, Total Tackles: 0)
*Snap count include special team snaps*
Bridges played almost entirely on special teams, with just a tiny glimpse of him on defense. He logged the bulk of his work on the kicking units, running lanes, taking on blocks and doing the dirty work that doesn’t show up much in the box score but matters for field position and consistency. On defense he saw only two snaps, essentially a cameo as an emergency outside corner rather than a true part of the game plan, and he didn’t figure in any major targets or tackles on those plays. Bridges handled his special-teams role and gave Dallas a reliable back-end option without ever having the kind of exposure that would define the game one way or the other.
TACOMA, Wash. (HawaiiNewsNow) – Colleagues and loved ones gathered to honor the life and service of Mililani High School graduate Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, who died in the line of duty as a trooper in Washington State.
Tara-Marysa’s older sister, Shannen Tanaka, spoke at the funeral.
“Tara, although our heart aches with your absence, we know you did not leave us behind. You remain bound to us by love that does not end. You remain just beyond our sight until the day we are able to be together again. We love you,” Tanaka said.
She delivered an emotional eulogy as she stood at the podium with siblings Troy and Ariana Hirata at Saturday’s memorial service.
“I don’t know how familiar you all are with the movie Lilo and Stitch, but there’s a quote that says Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. It was a sentiment that Tara lived by,” her sister said. “Ohana, in its deepest sense, is unconditional love, support and inclusion. It reaches beyond blood.”
The Washington State Patrol Trooper was struck and killed while responding to a crash in Tacoma.
The 2014 Mililani graduate leaves behind her husband Tim, who serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the Washington State Patrol Fire Training Academy.
Together they had four pets.
Tara-Marysa was one of many first responders in her family, including her brother-in-law Devin Tanaka.
DEVIN TANAKA, TARA’S BROTHER IN LAW>
“Tara’s passing is a devastating loss to a family who knows all too well both the rewards and risk of public service,” Devin Tanaka said. “We will never forget Tara, nor the 33 heroes that died members serving the State of Washington State Patrol.”
Friends and coworkers say Tara-Marysa left an impact on everyone she met.
“Tara you were my safe place, you made the world feel softer, more funny and exceedingly more manageable just by being in it, and even though I don’t know how to exist in a world where I can’t sit next to you on that couch again, I do know this, your love did not leave with you,” said Lily Guerrero, Tara-Marysa’s best friend.
One of her co-workers said, “It felt like every other day she was bringing some sort of gift or Hawaiian snack to literally every person in the building where we worked just to spread a little bit of joy.”
The funeral ended with a solemn salute for Guting.
She was the 34th person to die in the line of duty in the 105-year history of the Washington State Patrol.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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