2012 National Leaders Opponent First Downs - Games in December/January Only through 01/07/2013
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rutgers | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 1 | Bowling Green | 1 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 3 | Clemson | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 3 | San Diego State | 1 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 3 | SMU | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 3 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 8 | Michigan | 1 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 1 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 11 | BYU | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 11 | Central Michigan | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 11 | Mississippi | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 11 | Kent State | 1 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 15 | San Jose State | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 15 | Florida | 1 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 15 | Ohio | 1 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 15 | LSU | 1 | 6 | 20 | 6 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 19 | Syracuse | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 20 | Hawai'i | 1 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 20 | Utah State | 1 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 20 | Duke | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 20 | South Florida | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 1 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 20 | Texas State | 1 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 20 | Washington | 1 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 1 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 28 | Oregon State | 2 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 28 | 14.0 |
| 28 | Fresno State | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 28 | North Carolina State | 1 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 28 | Louisville | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 28 | Alabama | 2 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 28 | Western Kentucky | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 1 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 28 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 28 | Air Force | 1 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 37 | Rice | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 37 | Northwestern | 1 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 37 | Oregon | 1 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 37 | Louisiana-Monroe | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 37 | Toledo | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 37 | East Carolina | 1 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 43 | Stanford | 1 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 43 | Army | 1 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 43 | Purdue | 1 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 46 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 33 | 16.5 |
| 46 | South Alabama | 1 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 46 | Florida Atlantic | 1 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 46 | South Carolina | 1 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 46 | Kansas | 1 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 51 | Iowa State | 1 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 51 | Notre Dame | 1 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 53 | Ball State | 1 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 33 | 33.0 |
| 54 | Tulsa | 2 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 26 | 13.0 |
| 54 | Arkansas State | 2 | 15 | 14 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 |
| 54 | Georgia Tech | 2 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 54 | TCU | 2 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 54 | UCLA | 1 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 54 | Middle Tennessee | 1 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 60 | Arizona State | 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 60 | USC | 1 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 60 | Texas | 2 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 36 | 18.0 |
| 60 | Texas Tech | 1 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Baylor | 2 | 16 | 31 | 2 | 49 | 24.5 |
| 60 | Cincinnati | 2 | 16 | 35 | 4 | 55 | 27.5 |
| 66 | New Mexico State | 1 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 67 | Oklahoma | 2 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 67 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 2 | 18 | 26 | 4 | 48 | 24.0 |
| 69 | Florida State | 2 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 36 | 18.0 |
| 69 | Kansas State | 2 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 43 | 21.5 |
| 69 | UCF | 2 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 49 | 24.5 |
| 72 | Wisconsin | 2 | 22 | 13 | 5 | 40 | 20.0 |
| 72 | Nevada | 2 | 22 | 29 | 2 | 53 | 26.5 |
| 74 | Boise State | 2 | 23 | 19 | 1 | 43 | 21.5 |
| 75 | West Virginia | 2 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 75 | Nebraska | 2 | 27 | 18 | 2 | 47 | 23.5 |
| 75 | Oklahoma State | 2 | 27 | 20 | 3 | 50 | 25.0 |
| 78 | Arizona | 1 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 39 | 39.0 |
| 79 | Georgia | 2 | 33 | 13 | 6 | 52 | 26.0 |
| 80 | Navy | 2 | 43 | 15 | 4 | 62 | 31.0 |