Texans beat 49ers 24-21

HOUSTON - Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and Houston built a big lead before holding on for a 24-21 win over San Francisco yesterday.

Former University of Virginia standout Matt Schaub's 42-yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels made it 21-0 in the second quarter, and the Texans took that lead into halftime.

Schaub was 20 of 30 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the NFL in passing yards (2,074) and TDs (16).

San Francisco (3-3) benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.

"I just thought it was time to make the switch," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. "It was as simple as that. No long, drawn-out thought process."

Eugene Wilson's interception on fourth down halted a 49ers' last-gasp drive, and the Texans (4-3) won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Davis' third TD came on a 23-yard reception drew San Francisco to 24-21 with 3:49 remaining. Houston's only second-half points came on a 50-yard field goal by Kris Brown.

Crabtree's first game after ending a 71-day contract holdout Oct. 7 was overshadowed by the quarterback shakeup. In his first game since 2007, Smith sparked San Francisco's offense in the second half and was 15 of 22 for 206 yards.

His first touchdown came on a 29-yard pass to Davis that made it 21-7.

Smith found Davis (seven receptions, 93 yards) again on a 14-yard TD pass to cut the Texans' lead to 21-14 with about 13 minutes remaining. That score came 10 plays after Dashon Goldson forced and recovered a fumble by Slaton late in the third quarter. It was the fourth fumble he's lost this season.

The Texans were without Andre Johnson on their last drive after the star receiver's chest was bruised earlier in the fourth quarter.