2016 American Athletic Conference Leaders Total Defense - All Games through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush Yards | Pass Yards | Plays | Total Yards | Yards/Play | Yards/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulane | 12 | 1911 | 2463 | 816 | 4374 | 5.36 | 364.5 |
| 2 | East Carolina | 12 | 2742 | 2691 | 844 | 5433 | 6.44 | 452.8 |
| 3 | Temple | 14 | 1825 | 2130 | 852 | 3955 | 4.64 | 282.5 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 12 | 1753 | 3176 | 862 | 4929 | 5.72 | 410.8 |
| 5 | Houston | 13 | 1302 | 2853 | 866 | 4155 | 4.80 | 319.6 |
| 6 | SMU | 12 | 2526 | 2910 | 906 | 5436 | 6.00 | 453.0 |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 12 | 2275 | 2799 | 951 | 5074 | 5.34 | 422.8 |
| 8 | Navy | 14 | 2519 | 3557 | 959 | 6076 | 6.34 | 434.0 |
| 9 | UCF | 13 | 2204 | 2610 | 1008 | 4814 | 4.78 | 370.3 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 13 | 2292 | 3252 | 1013 | 5544 | 5.47 | 426.5 |
| 11 | Memphis | 13 | 2664 | 3246 | 1025 | 5910 | 5.77 | 454.6 |
| 12 | South Florida | 13 | 2554 | 3712 | 1077 | 6266 | 5.82 | 482.0 |