It took two quarters before the Cowboys unleashed rookie running back Deuce Vaughn on offense, but he showed what he's capable of as soon as he stepped onto the field in the third quarter.
On the Cowboys' second possession of the second half, Vaughn ripped off a 26-yard gain, caught a pass from third-string quarterback Will Grier on 3rd and 3 to give the Cowboys a first down, and capped off the drive with a four-yard run up the gut for a touchdown.
For the game, Vaughn had eight carries for 50 yards and three catches for six yards.
"He played very well," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after the team's 28-23 loss to Jacksonville. "He rolled in there and ran conceptually everything that the other guys ran. I think that speaks volumes about him. I thought he had a heck of a night. Great introduction to the NFL."
After the game, Vaughn spoke about how much it meant to him to make his NFL debut.
"Just that I belong," he said. "That’s the biggest thing for myself – coming in and proving the people that believe in me right. It doesn’t stop now. We go back to work on Monday, and we’re getting ready for the next preseason game."
Vaughn's playmaking came after Malik Davis struggled with his opportunities behind an offensive line made up of backups. Davis started the game in place of Cowboys starting running back Tony Pollard, who was held out of the game along with the rest of the offensive starters.
Davis had four carries for three yards and four catches for 19 yards.
Backup running back Rico Dowdle also got a lot of work in the first half, rushing for 21 yards on six touches to go along with his three receptions for 33 yards.
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