2016 Conference USA Leaders First Downs - Games vs. Conference Teams Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Kentucky | 9 | 93 | 130 | 12 | 235 | 26.1 |
| 2 | Louisiana Tech | 9 | 74 | 126 | 21 | 221 | 24.6 |
| 3 | Southern Mississippi | 8 | 68 | 103 | 18 | 189 | 23.6 |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee | 8 | 68 | 108 | 11 | 187 | 23.4 |
| 5 | Rice | 8 | 88 | 82 | 16 | 186 | 23.3 |
| 6 | Florida Atlantic | 8 | 96 | 77 | 9 | 182 | 22.8 |
| 7 | Florida International | 8 | 70 | 97 | 9 | 176 | 22.0 |
| 8 | UTSA | 8 | 85 | 73 | 13 | 171 | 21.4 |
| 8 | Old Dominion | 8 | 69 | 84 | 18 | 171 | 21.4 |
| 10 | Charlotte | 8 | 73 | 69 | 17 | 159 | 19.9 |
| 11 | Marshall | 8 | 48 | 89 | 18 | 155 | 19.4 |
| 12 | UTEP | 8 | 61 | 74 | 10 | 145 | 18.1 |
| 13 | North Texas | 8 | 55 | 74 | 15 | 144 | 18.0 |