1956:
Jim Brown: 158 carries 986 yards (6.2) 13TDs, 5 catches 56 yards (11.50 1 TD3/4 passing 76 yards 1TD. He also kicked 22 PATs for 106 points, including a record 43 in one game. This came in 8 games and we were 7-1, (remember bowls not included: Jim rushed for 126 yards and 3TDs and kicked three more PATs for a total of 1,112 yards rushing and 127 points in 9 games). He finished 5th in the voting with 561 votes, including 118 first place votes. .
Paul Hornung, who played quarterback: 59 for 111 ((53.2) for 917 yards 3TDs and 13 interceptions. Carried the ball 94 times for 420 yards and TDs. Caught 3 passes for 26 yards 0TDs, scored 36 points. He returned two interceptions for 59 yards and back 20 kicks for 559 yards and 1 score and kicked 14PATs for 56 points. He did this in 10 games for a 2-8 team. He finished 1st with 1066 points, including 197 first place votes.
1987:
Don McPherson led the nation in passing with a 164.3 rating and his team to a perfect 11-0 record- exactly what Vinnie Testaverde had done the previous year to win the Heisman while Tim Brown finished 3rd. Donnie Mac completed 129 of 229 passes (56.3) for 2,341 yards 22TDs 11int. He ran the ball 110 times for 230 yards and 5 scores. and caught a 7 yard pass for a score. Total offense: 2,578 yards 28TDs. He got 841 points, including 167 first place votes.
Tim Brown, in 1986 when he finished 3rd, had caught 45 passes for 910 yards (20.2) and 5TDs rushed 59 times for 254 yards (4.3) and 2 TDs and returned 27 kicks for 773 yards and 2 scores. All-purpose yards: 1,937 and 9TDs. His team went 5-6. In 1987 he caught 39 passes for 846 yards (21.7) and 3 scores, rushed 34 times for 144 yards (4.1) and 1 score and returned 57 kicks for 857 yards and 3 scores. All-purpose yards: 1,847 and 7TDs. His team went 8-3. He won with 1,442 points, including 324 first place votes.
I remember Bill Jauss of the Chicago Sportswriter's show talking about the "phantom yards" Brown produced because the defense concentrated so much on him that other players could gain yards.
Isn't a quarterback in some way responsible for ALL his team's yards?
Fun fact: Jim Brown, as a running back, threw 1/3 as many touchdown passes as Paul Hornung, a quarterback, threw in 1956 and Don McPherson, a quarterback, caught 1/3 as many touchdown passes as Tim Brown,a receiver, caught in 1987.