After watching his rookie teammate Hunter Luepke spike and then abandon his very first touchdown ball on Sunday, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pulled the ultimate teammate move, scooping up the ball and making sure it found its way into the hands of the undrafted first-year fullback.
Luepke, an undrafted free agent pickup for the Cowboys this offseason, scored on a three-yard rush behind the right guard to make the score 38-3 before the final whistle. It’s the first touchdown of his very young career, but most certainly not the last.
Through four games, Luepke has one touchdown, along with three carries for 13 yards and one reception for 12 yards. The Cowboys are now 3-1 heading into a highly-anticipated matchup against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas likes what they have in the fullback out of North Dakota State, so much so that they signed him to one of the biggest contracts among this year’s class of undrafted rookies.
Mike McCarthy praised Luepke during the preseason for what he brings to the table and how quickly he’s picked up the offense.
“His versatility is what we’re excited about,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, he gives us the lead blocking (…), he’s got good hands, good receiver, is very bright, the pass protection part of it he has picked up for a rookie very well.”
During his four years at North Dakota State, Luepke posted more than 400 rushing yards three times. He maxed out at 619 yards on 98 carries as a senior.
He also had nine rushing touchdowns and four additional receiving touchdowns in 2022. Not only did he average 6.3 yards per rush in his final season, but he also produced long runs of 38 yards and 47 yards.
Cowboys rookies finding the endzone
Luepke is not the first Cowboys rookie to score a touchdown. Second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker grabbed his in the team’s Week 2 win against the New York Jets.
Sixth-round pickup Deuce Vaughn is still waiting for his first touchdown in a Cowboys uniform. The small-statured former Kansas State star had multiple carries in Dallas’s win over the Patriots on Sunday as he filled in for a banged-up Rico Dowdle.
For Week 5, the Cowboys travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers, the team that’s knocked them out of the playoffs in the last two seasons. The San Francisco offense is putting up 31 points per game so far through four games, so Dallas will need its playmakers to find the endzone again on Sunday.
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