The Dallas Cowboys won a nail-bitter over the Houston Texans Thursday night by a score of 21-14.

Finally, preseason is over.

There were plenty of players who stood out including a pair of Cowboys running backs. Gus Johnson rushed 16 times for 69 yards and one touchdown. Ben Malena topped him with 88 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown of his own to help win the game.

The defense as a unit was outstanding. Cornerback Corey White had a interception returned for a touchdown to give the Cowboys their first points. Defensive end Ryan Russell had a sack-fumble in Texans territory which lead to at touchdown on the next play.

For more notes and videos from Thursday, check out the rundown below:

QuarterbacksQuarterback Dustin Vaughan went the distance for the Cowboys, but he might not have done enough to earn a spot on the roster when final cuts are issued. Vaughan was 11-20 for 115 yards with a 71.9 passer rating. He had a few errant throws on the day, but didn't have any interceptions.

Since Vaughan went the entirety of the game, quarterback Jameill Showers didn't get a chance to go under center. One reason for this could be that the Cowboys are hoping opposing teams don't have enough film on him to pick him up after cuts. Then, Showers could end up on the Cowboys practice squad.

Running backIn the battle for the fourth-string/short-yardage running back spot, Malena seemed to have the edge. The former Texas A&M Aggie made the strongest case for the Cowboys to keep him with his 5.9 yards per carry. Check out Malena's game-winning touchdown in the video embedded below.



If you take away the 21-yard run by Johnson, he ends the day with only 3.1 yards per carry. Johnson had two good runs, but he left a lot on the field. Still, his touchdown was impressive (see video below) and his overall work the last month should give the Cowboys a lot to think about.



Wide receivers/tight endWide receiver Lucky Whitehead might have won himself the No. 5 receiver spot with his excellent day. Whitehead had four receptions for 40 yards on nine targets.

Tight end Gavin Escobar had two catches but made the most out of the receptions. On a third down and 17 in the first quarter, Escobar took a short completion for a total of 18 yards and picked up the first down. Check that out in the video embedded below.



Offensive lineNone of the starters played in this matchup for the Cowboys. A few guys that stood out were center Shane McDermott for his excellent block on the long Malena gain and left tackle John Wetzel for his dirty block on Johnson's touchdown run. Also to note, right guard La'el Collins got plenty of playing time throughout the game.

Defensive lineThere was a lot to like about the defensive line on the night. Defensive tackle Terrell McClain was all over the field chasing down ballcarriers for tackles and getting to the quarterback (see video below). McClain ended his night with four total tackles, one sack (see second video below), one tackle for a loss, and one quarterback hit.



Other players with great nights were nose tackle Ken Bishop, defensive tackle Davon Coleman, defensive end Ben Gardner, defensive end Lavar Edwards, and Russell. Check out the fifth-round pick's (Russell) sack-fumble in the video embedded below.



To make a quick note, defensive end Greg Hardy was not on the sidelines tonight. According to head coach Jason Garrett, he had to leave AT&T Stadium before the game started to welcome the birth of his child.

LinebackersLienbacker Keith Smith went through cognitive tests after the first kick off to check for a concussion. He quickly returned and had a huge night. The former San Jose State standout ended up with six total tackles and was around the ball for a bunch of plays. In the video above, Smith was on the other end of the fumble to pick up the football and run it in to the end zone. Unfortunately, refs blew the play dead as it was originally called an incomplete pass.

Smith stripped the ball carrier on a play earlier, but couldn't recover the fumble. Check that out in the video below.



Linebacker Jasper Brinkley also had a fine night. Being on the bubble to make the 53-man roster, Brinkley picked up five total tackles with one tackle for a loss.

SecondaryDefensive back Byron Jones started the game at safety. In the fourth quarter, Jones got beat in the end zone for a Texans touchdown.

Safety Tim Scott led the team in tackles with seven. And check out White's pick-six in the video embedded below.



Special teamsOn special teams, Whitehead gave the Cowboys another reason why he deserves to make the final 53-man roster. Whitehead averaged 28 yards on two kick returns. On punt return, the speedster had five returns for an average of 33 yards. Check out his nice 31-yard return in the video below.



Whitehead took to Twitter after the game.



Tonight I gave them 13 reasons why I belong! #CowboysNation â­ï¸#âƒ£1âƒ£3âƒ£ — Lucky Whitehead (@ninjafast22) September 4, 2015





We're now on to the regular season! The Cowboys open up at home on Sept. 13 against the Giants at 7:30 p.m. CST.