Two Southern Miss alumni on the 49ers
The story of the San Francisco 49ers and their run to Super Bowl 54 can’t be told without Southern Miss. The only two schools with more alumni on the current roster are Penn State and Stanford, leaving the Golden Eagles in plenty good company leading up to the big game.
What a big moment for Nick Mullens and Tarvarius Moore as told by USM’s passing king.
A South Beach Super Bowl awaits for the San Francisco 49s led by franchise quarterback Jimmy Garappolo and a nine-figure contract that appears to have been worth every penny. “He’s been calm, cool, collected all year, and it’s been cool to watch and learn from him.”
Their insurance policy is USM’s all-time leading passer. In fact, the proud owner of every major passing record at Southern Miss, it’s a safe bet Nick Mullens learned even more from his time in Hattiesburg where he led the Golden Eagles out of the depths of a 23-game losing streak as just a true freshman. “I think that experience has just helped me creating a mindset. You know it’s never going to be perfect. You know there’s going to be ups and downs. But the thing I learned most is just be the most consistent guy you can be each and every day. Every rep, every throw, every play. Just create a clear mind and be a consistent player and that’ll get you through anything and that’s kind of what I’ve stuck by.”
Hard to argue with the results of becoming just the 15th former Golden Eagle on a Super Bowl roster. The 16th is a teammate twice over, Southern Miss alum and 49ers back-up free safety Tarvarius Moore. “Oh, it’s awesome. Yeah, we’re always talking and it’s cool to have somebody that you can kind of just fall back on because you came from the same place so we kind of know each other a little bit more. Especially two Southern Miss guys in the Super Bowl, it’s really cool for the school.”
Moore has actually played in all 18 of San Francisco’s games this season while Mullens has yet to attempt a pass.
Yet, the four year starter out of USM is still just one play away from trying to lead the 49ers to their first world championship since before he was born. “Yeah, I don’t think the mindset changes. Every week I’ve prepared like I’m the starter, and you do as much as you can to tell yourself you’re starting this week, you’re starting this week and so you prepare like that. Coach talks about the fear of failure, you’re so scared to fail that you prepare so hard and that’s kind of how I go about it.”
Mullens says a hotel room is the perfect place to prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, away from all the distractions of the big game. Obviously, the biggest game of his entire life. “You barely think about making it to the NFL maybe that would be pretty cool if I made it to the NFL, much less getting the opportunity to dress out during the Super Bowl. And yeah, it kind of out-does my goals and out-does my dreams. But that’s why you play the game. You see how far you can go and how much you can do as a team, and here we are.”
A two star prospect out of Spain Park High School in Alabama, Mullens has turned himself into a legitimate NFL quarterback.
Having carried the 49ers through the back-half of the 2018 campaign following a season-ending knee injury to Jimmy G and a wrist injury to CJ Beathard.
Mullens threw for 285 yards per game and won the back-up role for good in a near flawless three-touchdown game against the Oakland Raiders in his NFL debut.
The 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will kick things off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on WXXV on Fox.
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