Tom Savage is starting for the Texans, but who is this guy?

Last week, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien made a gutsy call in replacing newly signed quarterback Brock Osweiler for Tom Savage. Prior to last Sunday, Savage had thrown a total of 19 NFL passes, all in 2014.

Savage came in for Osweiler, after Osweiler had a 6-of-11 showing with just 48 yards and two interceptions against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first half, the Texans scored off a safety and a field goal to trail 13-5, and O’Brien had seen enough.

Savage didn’t throw a touchdown, but the Texans offense looked much better with him under center. He completed 23-of-26 passes for 260 yards. He found receiver DeAndre Hopkins for eight receptions and 87 yards, Hopkins’ second best performance this season.

That speaks volumes when you consider Hopkins is supposed to be a top receiver in the league.

Add to that the fact that the Texans replaced their starting quarterback in the thick of a playoff race with two critical games left to play, and it’s an even gutsier call.

The Texans felt better about Savage this season than they had in the past, as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach George Godsey told ESPN.

“When you’re sitting there and you really can’t play the upcoming game because of an injury, you take two roads,” Godsey said. “One is a proactive approach and that’s the approach that he took. [He] took a lot of notes as if he was preparing for the game. Certainly that’s in the past, but it definitely helped him as far as his development as a professional.”

Savage played at a trio of colleges. He started by enrolling at Rutgers in 2009, where he threw for 2,211 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, completing just 52 percent of his passes. After injuring his hand in his sophomore season and losing his job in 2010, he announced that he would transfer.

Savage revealed that he would be going to Arizona in February of 2011, but later that year, he left Arizona for Pittsburgh and redshirted. Savage was named the starter for Paul Chryst’s Panthers in 2013, where he completed over 61 percent of his passes for nearly 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns on a team that went just 7-6 and 3-5 in the ACC.

After that season, he was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Texans.

He made his NFL debut on Dec. 14 when Ryan Fitzpatrick broke his leg against the Indianapolis Colts. Savage went 10-of-19 in that game for 127 yards and an interception in a 17-10 loss.

He learned from his college experience and very brief showing he had in the NFL two years ago, and it’s helped him to emerge in this position. “At a young time in my career, I learned that this opportunity can be taken away from you pretty quick,” Savage told ESPN.

“Injuries happen, so ... that’s why this week I’m just going to enjoy this opportunity and go out there and have some fun with the guys and, like I said, just let it rip and see what happens.”

That’s a pretty good attitude to have going into the crucial final two games.