NFL Week 12: He’s sad, they’re mad

CLEVELAND — Former Arkansas Razorbacks fullback Peyton Hillis is running with a distinguished crowd these days as a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Just don’t tell Hillis about it.

Hillis (Conway) ran for three touchdowns in Cleveland’s 24-23 victory over Carolina on Sunday, joining Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly as the only Cleveland backs to score as many as 11 rushing touchdowns in a season.

“That’s absurd,” Hillis said of his name being mentioned with two of Cleveland’s most revered players. “Those guys are legends and I’m a nobody. ... Growing up, my dad was such a big football fan and he always hyped those guys. Jim Brown in his day, there wasn’t a better player. The comparisons are just absurd.”

Hillis played in the same backfield with future first round draft picks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at Arkansas, but he has become a cult figure with Cleveland’s rabid fans, who weren’t sure what they were getting when the Browns traded quarterback Brady Quinn to Denver for Hillis during the off-season.

Now, they know how he used to train by pulling pickup trucks while attached to a harness down the streets of Conway and of his penchant for hunting wild boar.

They have also grown accustomed to Hillis’ 6-2, 240-pound body hurtling down the field on runs and after catching passes, his arms bursting out of his uniform.

“Peyton is a rock star,” kick returner Josh Cribbs said. “Hopefully he’s going to be in Cleveland a long time. They love him around here and I love him around here. I might have a Peyton Hillis shirt on come Monday.”

Hillis’ third touchdown Sunday made it 21-7 in the second quarter, but it got more difficult from there for the Browns, who fell behind 23-21 before rallying and survived a 42-yard field-goal attempt by Carolina’s John Kasay in the final seconds.

Hillis did his part to secure victory, rushing 26 times for 131 yards and catching six passes from Jake Delhomme for another 63 yards. He also threw a pass, though it fell short of its target, a wide open Benjamin Watson in the end zone.

“Boy it was ugly, wasn’t it?” he said of the first-quarter attempt. “When we ran it in practice, I thought that Ben was going to run a corner route. I had so many guys in my face and at the last second, I saw him. I threw it and I think that’s the end of my quarterback career.”

Hillis’ career as an NFL running back is blossoming. On his third touchdown, he flattened Carolina safety Charles Goodson at the 2 before cruising into the end zone. He dropped to a knee, flexed his biceps and pointed to the sky just a few feet from where a “Peyton’s Place” banner hung.

Cleveland (4-7), which has victories over New Orleans and New England and an overtime loss to the New York Jets, survived Kasay’s attempt that grazed the left upright as time expired Sunday.

Hillis said he will take the victories any way they come.

“It makes me feel like the luck’s finally back on our side,” he said. “In future games, I think the ball’s going to roll our way.”