49ers vs. Texans: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Preseason

The Houston Texans defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 23-10, Saturday night in their preseason opener at NRG Stadium. 

All eyes were on the Houston quarterback competition between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, and the former got the opportunity to take an early lead after head coach Bill O'Brien deemed him the starter for Saturday's showdown. 

And that's exactly what he did. 

Wasting no time, Hoyer marched his first-team troops down the field and hit wide receiver Cecil Shorts on a deep crossing route for a 58-yard score on the game's opening drive. 

The NFL passed along video of the strike: 

The Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson discussed the value Shorts can bring to Houston's passing attack: 

Hoyer followed up the touchdown pass by finding receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a pitch-and-catch on the ensuing two-point conversion. 

However, Hoyer saw the field for only one series before Mallett took to the turf and started putting on a show that included completions on each of his first eights attempts. 

Mallett went on to finish the first half under center before ceding quarterbacking duties to Tom Savage. 

A side-by-side statistical comparison of the two signal-callers can be viewed below:  

Player	Completions	Attempts	Pass Yards	Pass TD	INT	Rush Yards	Rush TD
Brian Hoyer	2	4	67	1	0	---	---
Ryan Mallet	10	11	90	0	0	3	---

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted the two strong performances didn't offer Houston any more clarity on the gun-slinging front:  

Matched up against a starting Texans defense that rested studs J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork and Jonathan Joseph, the 49ers' first-team offense couldn't get much going.

Colin Kaepernick completed one of three passes for 14 yards before taking a seat, and running back Carlos Hyde carried the ball twice for a total of six yards.

And while Kaepernick received only one series' worth of opportunities, backup Blaine Gabbert turned some heads with a strong showing in relief of the starter.

The former No. 10 overall pick completed eight of 11 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown, which came via a 10-yard pass to tight end Garrett Celek in the second quarter. 

The Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows provided a look at the year-over-year progress Gabbert made: 

"Well, I’m a believer in Blaine Gabbert," 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula said earlier in the week, according to ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez. "I am. Just point blank, I’m a believer in Blaine Gabbert. Again, we are building a team, so in terms of the on-the-field play and the team, Blaine Gabbert, that’s a beautiful piece."

The other noteworthy performances from Saturday's tilt came courtesy of the ground game. 

With Arian Foster on the shelf, Alfred Blue received the start at running back for Houston, and he didn't disappoint. Blue finished with nine carries for 59 yards, including a 32-yard scamper that helped kick his yard-per-carry average up to 6.6 for the night.

On a more obscure note, undrafted free agent and former Australian rugby standout Jarryd Hayne made some noise as a return man and running back. 

The NFL relayed video of Hayne's 53-yard dash in the second quarter: 

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein provided a scouting report on the up-and-comer: 

Hayne's evening consisted of five carries for 63 yards, two punt returns for 24 yards and a 33-yard kickoff return. 

While it wasn't a banner day for San Francisco's offense overall, Hayne provided a silver lining in the form of some explosive burst. 

The 49ers will look to establish some more consistency on offense next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Not only will Kaepernick be in line for a bigger workload in the second preseason game, but Tomsula will also be able to get an extended look at Hyde as he transitions to his role as the team's bell cow back. 

As for the Texans, O'Brien's side will be back in action next Saturday against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Hoyer and Mallett will renew their heated competition at that time, at which point the team should gain valuable data that can help tip the scales one way or the other. 

But with preseason action just starting to ramp up, both teams are in for a fascinating few weeks as they seek to build continuity and positive momentum heading into the regular season.