It's safe to say that Nick Mullens surprised the football world with his performance Thursday night.
The 49ers quarterback threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns and completed 73 percent of his passes in his first career NFL game, a 34-3 victory over the Raiders.
MORE: SN's live blog of Raiders vs. 49ers
Mullens posted a perfect passer rating on his first drive and rode that momentum the rest of the night, playing turnover-free football to give San Francisco (2-7) its second win of the season.
Here are four things you may not know about the guy who stole the show on "Thursday Night Football":
1. He is statistically the best quarterback in Southern Miss history
While Mullens’ siblings attended Alabama, he carved out his own legacy in Hattiesburg.
Mullens finished his four-year career with the Golden Eagles holding school records in most every passing category. That’s impressive regardless of school, but considering Brett Favre is a former Southern Miss quarterback, it makes those achievements look even more impressive.
His best season came in 2015, his junior year. He threw for 4,456 yards and was responsible for 41 touchdowns (38 passing, three rushing) as he earned Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors.
2. Mullens was also a stud in high school
Football success is nothing new for Mullens. At Spain Park High School in the suburbs of Birmingham, Ala., he threw for 3,649 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior. He was chosen the Gatorade Alabama Football Player of the Year in 2012.
3. He is not the only athlete in his family
Baseball also runs in the Mullens family. His grandfather Ernest briefly played in the minor leagues for the Phillies organization, while his uncle Scott played in the College World Series with Arkansas and spent five seasons in the minor leagues.
4. Most of his NFL career has been spent on the practice squad
The 49ers signed Mullens as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he was never active for an NFL game that year, appearing on the practice squad instead. He began the 2018 season the same way but was promoted after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3. He was only in the game Thursday after San Francisco opted not to start C.J. Beathard, who has been dealing with a wrist injury. It took a pair of injuries for Mullens to get his break.
Mullens almost wasn't promoted to the active roster, either. The 49ers brought in seven quarterbacks for tryouts after Garoppolo’s injury but chose not to sign any of them. It looks like the 49ers made the right move (and non-move).