2008 National Leaders Opponent First Downs - All Games through 01/08/2009
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kent State | 12 | 109 | 116 | 5 | 230 | 19.2 |
| 2 | Vanderbilt | 13 | 120 | 102 | 7 | 229 | 17.6 |
| 2 | Navy | 13 | 109 | 123 | 7 | 239 | 18.4 |
| 4 | Ball State | 14 | 129 | 142 | 9 | 280 | 20.0 |
| 5 | Virginia Tech | 14 | 78 | 104 | 10 | 192 | 13.7 |
| 5 | Memphis | 13 | 100 | 108 | 10 | 218 | 16.8 |
| 5 | San Diego State | 12 | 157 | 113 | 10 | 280 | 23.3 |
| 8 | Penn State | 13 | 79 | 116 | 11 | 206 | 15.8 |
| 8 | Syracuse | 12 | 127 | 132 | 11 | 270 | 22.5 |
| 10 | Arizona | 13 | 88 | 99 | 12 | 199 | 15.3 |
| 10 | Miami (Ohio) | 12 | 116 | 96 | 12 | 224 | 18.7 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 12 | 109 | 108 | 12 | 229 | 19.1 |
| 10 | Maryland | 13 | 109 | 140 | 12 | 261 | 20.1 |
| 10 | Washington | 12 | 148 | 108 | 12 | 268 | 22.3 |
| 15 | Clemson | 13 | 85 | 109 | 13 | 207 | 15.9 |
| 15 | Wake Forest | 13 | 91 | 103 | 13 | 207 | 15.9 |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | 13 | 89 | 122 | 13 | 224 | 17.2 |
| 15 | New Mexico | 12 | 89 | 113 | 13 | 215 | 17.9 |
| 15 | Buffalo | 14 | 131 | 159 | 13 | 303 | 21.6 |
| 20 | Rutgers | 13 | 86 | 101 | 14 | 201 | 15.5 |
| 20 | Army | 12 | 93 | 100 | 14 | 207 | 17.3 |
| 20 | Duke | 12 | 85 | 113 | 14 | 212 | 17.7 |
| 20 | Virginia | 12 | 105 | 104 | 14 | 223 | 18.6 |
| 20 | UNLV | 12 | 130 | 115 | 14 | 259 | 21.6 |
| 20 | Iowa State | 12 | 116 | 139 | 14 | 269 | 22.4 |
| 26 | Connecticut | 13 | 75 | 95 | 15 | 185 | 14.2 |
| 26 | Tulsa | 14 | 101 | 151 | 15 | 267 | 19.1 |
| 26 | North Carolina State | 13 | 114 | 149 | 15 | 278 | 21.4 |
| 26 | Oklahoma State | 13 | 99 | 182 | 15 | 296 | 22.8 |
| 26 | North Texas | 12 | 120 | 143 | 15 | 278 | 23.2 |
| 31 | Mississippi State | 12 | 95 | 89 | 16 | 200 | 16.7 |
| 31 | Illinois | 12 | 99 | 110 | 16 | 225 | 18.8 |
| 31 | West Virginia | 13 | 109 | 124 | 16 | 249 | 19.2 |
| 31 | Western Michigan | 13 | 88 | 158 | 16 | 262 | 20.2 |
| 31 | Louisiana-Monroe | 12 | 113 | 124 | 16 | 253 | 21.1 |
| 31 | Colorado State | 13 | 128 | 134 | 16 | 278 | 21.4 |
| 31 | Indiana | 12 | 123 | 147 | 16 | 286 | 23.8 |
| 31 | Kansas State | 12 | 135 | 151 | 16 | 302 | 25.2 |
| 39 | Alabama | 14 | 60 | 120 | 17 | 197 | 14.1 |
| 39 | Oregon State | 13 | 86 | 103 | 17 | 206 | 15.8 |
| 39 | San Jose State | 12 | 92 | 91 | 17 | 200 | 16.7 |
| 39 | Arkansas State | 12 | 82 | 115 | 17 | 214 | 17.8 |
| 39 | Notre Dame | 13 | 93 | 122 | 17 | 232 | 17.8 |
| 39 | Purdue | 12 | 116 | 97 | 17 | 230 | 19.2 |
| 39 | Air Force | 13 | 102 | 131 | 17 | 250 | 19.2 |
| 39 | Northwestern | 13 | 112 | 121 | 17 | 250 | 19.2 |
| 39 | Minnesota | 13 | 99 | 137 | 17 | 253 | 19.5 |
| 39 | Fresno State | 13 | 129 | 115 | 17 | 261 | 20.1 |
| 39 | New Mexico State | 12 | 141 | 90 | 17 | 248 | 20.7 |
| 39 | Colorado | 12 | 116 | 116 | 17 | 249 | 20.8 |
| 39 | Texas Tech | 13 | 121 | 144 | 17 | 282 | 21.7 |
| 52 | Iowa | 13 | 68 | 129 | 18 | 215 | 16.5 |
| 52 | UCF | 12 | 77 | 106 | 18 | 201 | 16.8 |
| 52 | Michigan | 12 | 81 | 105 | 18 | 204 | 17.0 |
| 52 | Auburn | 12 | 85 | 101 | 18 | 204 | 17.0 |
| 52 | Louisiana Tech | 13 | 71 | 166 | 18 | 255 | 19.6 |
| 52 | Eastern Michigan | 12 | 113 | 105 | 18 | 237 | 19.8 |
| 52 | Kansas | 13 | 91 | 168 | 18 | 277 | 21.3 |
| 52 | Akron | 12 | 132 | 119 | 18 | 270 | 22.5 |
| 52 | Baylor | 12 | 113 | 142 | 18 | 273 | 22.8 |
| 52 | Missouri | 14 | 110 | 199 | 18 | 327 | 23.4 |
| 52 | Rice | 13 | 131 | 158 | 18 | 307 | 23.6 |
| 52 | Texas A&M | 12 | 140 | 141 | 18 | 299 | 24.9 |
| 64 | Kentucky | 13 | 96 | 94 | 19 | 209 | 16.1 |
| 64 | East Carolina | 14 | 88 | 125 | 19 | 232 | 16.6 |
| 64 | Pittsburgh | 13 | 95 | 103 | 19 | 217 | 16.7 |
| 64 | Mississippi | 13 | 86 | 117 | 19 | 222 | 17.1 |
| 64 | California | 13 | 95 | 115 | 19 | 229 | 17.6 |
| 64 | Ohio State | 13 | 96 | 117 | 19 | 232 | 17.8 |
| 64 | Middle Tennessee | 12 | 97 | 113 | 19 | 229 | 19.1 |
| 64 | North Carolina | 13 | 111 | 135 | 19 | 265 | 20.4 |
| 64 | Marshall | 12 | 122 | 139 | 19 | 280 | 23.3 |
| 73 | Boston College | 14 | 73 | 113 | 20 | 206 | 14.7 |
| 73 | Tennessee | 12 | 75 | 100 | 20 | 195 | 16.3 |
| 73 | Wyoming | 12 | 85 | 101 | 20 | 206 | 17.2 |
| 73 | Wisconsin | 13 | 89 | 121 | 20 | 230 | 17.7 |
| 73 | Louisville | 12 | 76 | 117 | 20 | 213 | 17.8 |
| 73 | Nevada | 13 | 68 | 161 | 20 | 249 | 19.2 |
| 73 | UAB | 12 | 95 | 125 | 20 | 240 | 20.0 |
| 73 | Florida International | 12 | 114 | 115 | 20 | 249 | 20.8 |
| 73 | Western Kentucky | 12 | 108 | 123 | 20 | 251 | 20.9 |
| 73 | Temple | 12 | 111 | 126 | 20 | 257 | 21.4 |
| 73 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 12 | 128 | 116 | 20 | 264 | 22.0 |
| 73 | Houston | 13 | 135 | 130 | 20 | 286 | 22.0 |
| 73 | Idaho | 12 | 132 | 138 | 20 | 290 | 24.2 |
| 73 | UTEP | 12 | 133 | 137 | 20 | 290 | 24.2 |
| 73 | SMU | 12 | 141 | 138 | 20 | 299 | 24.9 |
| 88 | LSU | 13 | 76 | 114 | 21 | 211 | 16.2 |
| 88 | South Carolina | 13 | 98 | 95 | 21 | 214 | 16.5 |
| 88 | Northern Illinois | 13 | 98 | 96 | 21 | 215 | 16.5 |
| 88 | Florida | 14 | 97 | 116 | 21 | 234 | 16.7 |
| 88 | Troy | 13 | 107 | 113 | 21 | 241 | 18.5 |
| 88 | UCLA | 12 | 104 | 100 | 21 | 225 | 18.8 |
| 88 | Bowling Green | 12 | 105 | 113 | 21 | 239 | 19.9 |
| 95 | Michigan State | 13 | 88 | 118 | 22 | 228 | 17.5 |
| 95 | Tulane | 12 | 122 | 102 | 22 | 246 | 20.5 |
| 97 | Miami (Florida) | 13 | 109 | 82 | 23 | 214 | 16.5 |
| 97 | Boise State | 13 | 92 | 113 | 23 | 228 | 17.5 |
| 97 | Texas | 13 | 68 | 148 | 23 | 239 | 18.4 |
| 97 | Oklahoma | 14 | 95 | 155 | 23 | 273 | 19.5 |
| 101 | Ohio | 12 | 106 | 106 | 24 | 236 | 19.7 |
| 101 | Southern Mississippi | 13 | 97 | 145 | 24 | 266 | 20.5 |
| 101 | Washington State | 13 | 151 | 112 | 24 | 287 | 22.1 |
| 101 | Utah State | 12 | 109 | 134 | 24 | 267 | 22.3 |
| 101 | Toledo | 12 | 114 | 133 | 24 | 271 | 22.6 |
| 106 | Cincinnati | 14 | 86 | 135 | 25 | 246 | 17.6 |
| 107 | BYU | 13 | 104 | 138 | 27 | 269 | 20.7 |
| 107 | Stanford | 12 | 97 | 131 | 27 | 255 | 21.3 |
| 109 | Utah | 13 | 78 | 103 | 28 | 209 | 16.1 |
| 109 | Nebraska | 13 | 85 | 115 | 28 | 228 | 17.5 |
| 109 | Arizona State | 12 | 83 | 119 | 28 | 230 | 19.2 |
| 112 | USC | 13 | 66 | 86 | 29 | 181 | 13.9 |
| 112 | Oregon | 13 | 82 | 165 | 29 | 276 | 21.2 |
| 114 | Hawai'i | 14 | 107 | 126 | 30 | 263 | 18.8 |
| 114 | Florida Atlantic | 13 | 133 | 117 | 30 | 280 | 21.5 |
| 114 | Central Michigan | 13 | 95 | 162 | 30 | 287 | 22.1 |
| 117 | TCU | 13 | 35 | 88 | 34 | 157 | 12.1 |
| 118 | South Florida | 13 | 72 | 106 | 35 | 213 | 16.4 |
| 118 | Florida State | 13 | 89 | 90 | 35 | 214 | 16.5 |
| 118 | Georgia | 13 | 83 | 109 | 35 | 227 | 17.5 |