Jarryd Hayne vs. Texans: Stats, Highlights and Reaction from Preseason Week 1

Jarryd Hayne wanted to go out and look like he'd been playing football his entire life. He did exactly that. 

The former rugby star turned San Francisco 49ers running back ran for 63 yards on five carries and compiled 120 all-purpose yards in Saturday's 23-10 loss to the Houston Texans. The highlight was a 53-yard carry in the second quarter that nearly wound up in the end zone.

“I saw him hit the hole and just go,” backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert said, per Cam Inman of the Mercury News. "The O-line did a tremendous job getting all the reaches,” Gabbert added. “Bruce (Miller) threw somebody out of the park, opened up a giant hole for Jarryd, (Hayne) made the safety miss in open space and he almost broke it."

Hayne, 27, has been flirting with coming to the NFL since 2011. The Australian finally made the plunge following the 2014 Rugby League season, signing a three-year deal with the 49ers. He is currently competing for the third running back spot behind Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush. Bush did not play in Saturday's preseason opener to preserve his health, so Hayne was slotted in as the team's second-string back.

Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News came away impressed:

Hayne also had his moments as a return man, bringing back a kickoff for 33 yards and totaling 24 yards on his two punt returns.

“I felt a huge weight lifted,” Hayne said, per Inman. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I wanted to go out there and fit in. I didn’t want to go out there and look like a rugby player. I wanted to look like an American NFL player, and I felt I did that.”

The contract Hayne signed in San Francisco came with minimal guarantees, so this could be a case of peaking early before reality sets in. Kendall Hunter has been with the 49ers since being drafted in the fourth round in 2011 and has been consistently solid when given opportunities to carry the ball. Mike Davis was a star at South Carolina and was taken in the fourth round this year, so it would be a surprise for the 49ers to give up so early.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld noted Davis has fallen a bit behind, though:

In all likelihood, the 49ers will have to be comfortable going with five runnings backs for Hayne to make the roster. Still, as far as first impressions go, it would have been hard for Hayne to be much better.

We'll have to see what he has for an encore.

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