HOUSTON — Coach Jim Harbaugh was on a roll. He was finishing his postgame news conference Saturday night, musing about the 49ers’ 20-9 exhibition loss to the Houston Texans when he drifted into volatile territory: his displeasure with replacement officials.

“(I) don’t have the pulse on this game,” he said. “What was it exactly? Was it us? Them? You know, some crazy, wild calls.

“Were they accurate? Weren’t they? We’ll see.

“I have a headache, though. I’ve got a darn headache.

“A lot of them didn’t seem like they were in the ballpark.”

Harbaugh then got cut off — by a reporter from Houston Style Magazine, who asked him to recite the lessons he learned for the next preseason game.

Harbaugh offered a bland answer to that question, pulling out vague cliches and then fleeing to tend to his headache. Asked if he had a cold, Harbaugh said he didn’t, that his head was pounding from all the “screaming.”

Case in point: On the 49ers’ second possession, Harbaugh went bananas on the sideline at a non-call by the officials. Receiver Mario Manningham clearly was held by cornerback Brian McCain on a deep pass from Alex Smith. Safety Glover Quin dropped what would have been an easy interception, but it would have stood because no flag was thrown on McCain.

Officials, Harbaugh said, conceded they made a mistake at the end of the first half when they let the final 15 seconds expire after a defensive face-mask penalty, rather than keep the clock stopped so the 49ers could attempt a final play or two.

Only mistake of the night?

“Per instruction, I will not be commentating on the officiating,” Harbaugh responded.

Harbaugh also took issue with a third-quarter, pass-interference penalty on cornerback Tramaine Brock, but that one actually looked like a correct call.

Asked early in his news conference how Saturday’s result unfolded, Harbaugh replied:

“Was it us? Was it them? Was it … things I’ve been instructed not to comment on, so I won’t comment on them and don’t even ask me.”

The NFL had better solve its labor issue with officials, otherwise this could get ugly once the wins, losses and momentum-turning plays start counting in the regular season.