49ers vs. Texans: Preseason first-half stats, updates and analysis

The San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans are currently tied at seven points apiece during their second preseason game at NRG Stadium. Here are your halftime updates.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo helped lead the Niners first-team offense all the way down the field on their opening drive against the Houston Texans Saturday night, culminating in a two-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Trent Taylor, who was running a nifty slant route.

Houston answered back the following drive, as former 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington managed a one-yard catch on a pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Garoppolo nearly engineered another touchdown-scoring drive on the Niners' next possession. But a red-zone penalty led to a tipped pass intended for wide receiver Dante Pettis, which Houston intercepted -- the only turnover of the game so far.

That was the final offensive drive for San Francisco's offense.

Through one half, the 49ers have a total of 11 first downs with 224 total yards, 197 of which came through the air. At one point, the Niners were 5-of-6 on third downs but finished the first two quarters going 6-of-10 in this category. Meanwhile, San Francisco allowed Houston to convert three third downs on eight attempts, limiting the Texans to just 150 yards.

And we saw two of those questionable new penalties enforced against the 49ers, including this one against running back Raheem Mostert on a punt return:

Good call? Well, probably not. Overall, the 49ers have been hit with nine penalties for 79 yards.

Both teams have struggled to get the run game going, as the Niners and Texans each have just 27 yards on the ground. Jeremy McNichols was the primary ball carrier on the ground for San Francisco but has averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt.

Let's see what the second half brings, as nearly all of the 49ers starters will be on the bench.