Will the real Steve Smith stand up?

Published Oct. 6, 2009 at 4:52 a.m.
Noting the sports world:

•Well, at least we know there's nothing wrong with Steve Smith. He's leading the NFL with 102.8 receiving yards per game.

Oh, wait - that's the wrong Steve Smith!

It turns out the New York Giants' version is No.1 on that NFL list, while the Panthers' Smith was No.27 with 63.3 yards per game after the weekend's games. Carolina's Smith is still the better of the two, but the Giants' Smith has a supporting cast to die for.

•If I were Butch Davis, I'd let T.J. Yates start at quarterback Saturday against Georgia Southern with hopes of regaining some confidence. But if the Tar Heels' offense still looks as terrible in the first half as it has for most of the past month, I'd bench Yates. It wouldn't hurt him to sit - not permanently, but for awhile.

•The switch Davis should make right away is at tailback. Former Butler High star Ryan Houston is clearly the Tar Heels' most effective runner.

Houston does a passable Jonathan Stewart power back imitation, but starter Shaun Draughn seems to have regressed. With little help from the Tar Heel offensive line, Houston's bang-ahead style suits North Carolina better.

Play them both. But Houston - who has all four Tar Heel rushing TDs in 2009 and averages a yard per carry more than Draughn - needs to start and get at least half the carries.

•Former Davidson All-American Stephen Curry scored five points and had five steals and nine assists Sunday in his first preseason game for Golden State. Via Twitter, Curry sent out this account: "Nothing beats that first bucket in an NBA game. Major goosebumps tonight! Got the W, had mad fun tonight. Looking forward to the season now."

Curry is doing his best in a tough situation in California. Already, Golden State standout Monta Ellis has declared he "can't play" in the same backcourt with Curry because they are too similar in size (around 6-foot-3, 185 pounds) and wouldn't be able to handle the bigger guards other NBA teams so frequently deploy. Coach Don Nelson will try them out as a duo at some point.

•NASCAR TV commercials have generally lagged behind their sports brethren, but I like the Tony Stewart ads with him getting hooked up to a polygraph machine to see whether he truly loves a Whopper.

•Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes lost its prep showdown Friday night against No.1 rated St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, but it was one of the most entertaining contests you will ever see. Byrnes threw for over 400 yards, ran fake punts, double passes, direct snaps, no-huddle - you name it, they ran it. Byrnes still lost, 42-34.

Now we've simply got to get Byrnes and Charlotte's Independence High to set up a home-and-home series. Those are the two teams that have dominated their respective states over the past decade, and it's a shame they haven't made this happen already.

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