SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Blaine Gabbert had the stage to himself in San Franciscos quarterback competition with Colin Kaepernick nursing a sore shoulder and provided a strong finish to an uneven performance in the exhibition opener.Gabbert overcame a shaky start to throw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Vance McDonald before the Houston Texans rallied in the second half against San Franciscos reserves to beat the 49ers 24-13 on Sunday.There were ups and downs, Gabbert said. But we saw when we got into the groove what we can do as a unit.Brock Osweiler didnt fare as well in his Texans debut, failing to lead Houston to any points in three drives. Houston got on the board early when John Simon returned a fumble by Carlos Hyde 41 yards for a touchdown but struggled to generate any offense with its starters.Was it completely what I wanted tonight? Absolutely not. But rarely is it ever, Osweiler said. I think the biggest thing about tonight is we did some really good things offensively and we know we have some things that we need to work on and grow and get better at.With Kaepernick sitting out with tightness in his throwing shoulder, Gabbert got to make his case in the battle to win San Franciscos starting quarterback job for first-year coach Chip Kelly.Gabbert, who started the final eight games last season, did little to improve his position in the first two drives. He was off-target on his first two passes as San Francisco went three-and-out in 41 seconds on the opening drive and started the game 1 for 6 overall.But he was much more effective on the third drive when he scrambled 13 yards for a first down and then hit McDonald for the long score when Benardrick McKinney slipped in coverage.The good thing is that he did settle down, Kelly said. There were some real positives that we can build on but there were some throws that even if you ask Blaine, hed say he wished he had those back.Gabbert finished 4 for 10 for 63 yards and a touchdown.Osweiler, who signed a $72 million, four-year contract with Houston in the offseason, went 4 for 7 for 27 yards. He took one sack and left for good after throwing an incomplete pass to Braxton Miller on fourth down early in the second quarter.To put on the Texan uniform, and run out of the tunnel as a team for the first time, it was certainly special, Osweiler said.Tom Savage threw two TD passes in the second half for Houston, connecting on a 9-yarder to former California receiver Stephen Anderson and a 9-yarder to Akeem Hunt in the fourth quarter.ROOKIE WATCHTexans: Miller, a third-round pick, had four catches for 34 yards, including an acrobatic 24-yard gain in the third quarter from Savage. First-round pick Will Fuller had just one catch for 4 yards.49ers: First-round DL DeForest Buckner was pushed around a bit in the running game and finished with one solo tackle and two assists.INJURY UPDATETexans: CB A.J. Bouye sat out after injuring his groin Friday in practice and will have an MRI on Monday.49ers: Backup QB Thad Lewis was 12 for 21 for 97 yards before leaving the game with a lower-leg injury. ... DL Arik Armstead sat out the game after being limited last week in practice by a shoulder injury.POSITION BATTLESTexans: DL Christian Covington made a good showing as he got a look with the starters with J.J. Watt sidelined with a back injury. Covington forced the fumble by Hyde that led to Houstons first score.49ers: RT Anthony Davis, who sat out last year in temporary retirement, played with the second string behind Trent Brown in his first game in more than 19 months and was beaten by Eric Lee for a sack late in the first half.QUOTABLETexans: Knowing my family and friends are in the stands really supporting me, that was a dream come true, said Anderson, who grew up in nearby San Jose.49ers: Colin isnt 100 percent, Kelly said. It wouldnt have been fair to put him in and judge him on that competition. Cheap Vapormax China . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Nike Air Max Plus Clearance . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-270-clearance-sale.html . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Nike Vapormax 97 Cheap . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Wholesale Nike Air Max China . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.Marin Cilic takes on David Goffin and Milos Raonic meets Gael Monfils as the Indian Wells quarter-finals begin on Thursday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD. In a wide-open bottom half of the draw, early exits for Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych have left 10th seed Cilic as the highest ranked player remaining and the former US Open champion will take on Wawrinkas conquerer Goffin for a place in the last four.Thursdays other quarter-final will see big-serving Canadian Raonic up against flamboyant Frenchman Monfils with both men yet to drop a set in California. Indian Wells - Quarter Finals Top Half Novak Djokovic v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Rafa Nadal v Kei Nishikori Bottom Half Marin Cilic v David Goffin Milos Raonic v Gael Monfils The top half of the draw has progressed exactly to seeding with Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal joined by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals scheduled for Friday. Marin Cilic (10) v (15) David GoffinFirst up from 8pm on Thursday is only a second meeting between Cilic and Goffin, but it comes just over a week after the first when the two clashed in a pivotal Davis Cup rubber between Cilics Croatia and Goffins Belgium. David Goffin ended Stan Wawrinkas bid for a Masters title With Croatia leading 2-1 Goffin came through in four sets to see off Cilic and while Croatia went on to win, Goffin had picked up both points for his country and will be hoping for more of the same as he targets a victory that will see him through to his first Masters semi-final.Goffins previous 1000 Series best is a quarter-final in Rome last year and the 25-year-old will be looking to continue the steady improvement of last year that took him to a career-high 14th in the world rankings and saw him beat Wawrinka in a nerve-shredding last 16 encounter on Wednesday. Goffin delighted with victory over Stan Wawrinka The Swiss ace battled back from a set and 4-0 down to take the second set but showing tremendous composure Goffin came through a thrilling tie-break to secure victory over the world number four and remain on course for a first Tour title since 2014.ddddddddddddCilic is the highest seed left in the bottom half and has endured a low-key start to 2016 with defeat to Nick Kyrgios in the final in Marseille the high-point of a year that saw him beaten in the Australian Open third round and suffer early defeats in Acapulco and Montpellier Marin Cilic is seeking a first Masters semi-final appearance However the 27-year-old dropped his first set of the week in his last 16 match against Richard Gasquet but he outlasted his opponent in the sweltering conditions for a 7-5 5-7 6-2 victory that sees him into the last eight.Surprisingly the 2014 US Open champion has never been beyond the quarter-finals of a Masters event and will be looking to do so in the first last eight match up in California.Milos Raonic (12) v (13) Gael MonfilsThe second quarter-final gets underway on Sky Sports from 2am and will see a fifth career meeting between Canadas Raonic and Frances Monfils.Seeded 12th and 13th and ranked 14th and 16th there is little between the players. Raonics walkover win in a San Jose semi-final means it is Monfils who has the edge in contests between the pair.Their most recent match-up was an Australian Open quarter-final in January which Raonic came through in four tight sets. Milos Raonic meets Gael Monfils at Indian Wells The Canadian has raced lightly this year, reaching the final in Brisbane before his run to the last four in Melbourne. His performances in Indian Wells suggest his break after Australia has done him good and he hasnt spent too long on court in California either.A surprisingly one-sided last-16 win over Berdych followed a win over Bernard Tomic which came when the Australian withdrew trailing 6-2 3-0. His second round victory was achieved in straight sets over Inigo Cervantes. Nadal through, Wawrinka out Report from Wednesdays last 16 matches at Indian Wells Monfils too has made light work of his opponents so far, coming through 6-3 6-4 against Federico Delbonis in the last 16 after the Argentine had ousted Murray. Alberto Ramos-Vinolas was dispatched with ease and his toughest test so far came in a 7-5 7-6 (7-1) second round win over Pablo Carreno Busta.After his Melbourne quarter-final defeat, Monfils has played just two events, suffering a surprise defeat in the round of 32 in Montpellier before a run to the final in Rotterdam where he lost to Martin Klizan.Neither player has won a Masters title although both have two runners-up spots on their CV and will be looking to press their claims in California on Thursday night. You can follow all the action from Indian Wells on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm and when the action restarts at 2am. Also See: Nadal downs Zverev Serena through in Indian Wells Tennis on Sky Video ' ' '