2016 Conference USA Leaders First Downs - Games in August/September Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana Tech | 4 | 39 | 68 | 5 | 112 | 28.0 |
| 2 | Middle Tennessee | 4 | 35 | 64 | 6 | 105 | 26.3 |
| 3 | Southern Mississippi | 4 | 49 | 42 | 7 | 98 | 24.5 |
| 4 | Marshall | 3 | 28 | 29 | 11 | 68 | 22.7 |
| 5 | North Texas | 4 | 33 | 39 | 9 | 81 | 20.3 |
| 5 | Western Kentucky | 4 | 25 | 48 | 8 | 81 | 20.3 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 4 | 28 | 39 | 13 | 80 | 20.0 |
| 8 | Charlotte | 4 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 78 | 19.5 |
| 9 | Rice | 4 | 35 | 30 | 10 | 75 | 18.8 |
| 10 | UTSA | 4 | 21 | 45 | 4 | 70 | 17.5 |
| 11 | Florida Atlantic | 4 | 29 | 31 | 5 | 65 | 16.3 |
| 12 | Florida International | 4 | 21 | 32 | 9 | 62 | 15.5 |
| 13 | UTEP | 4 | 25 | 24 | 9 | 58 | 14.5 |