2016 Conference USA Leaders First Downs - Games vs. FBS Power 5 Conference Teams Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Tennessee | 2 | 17 | 30 | 5 | 52 | 26.0 |
| 2 | Southern Mississippi | 2 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 48 | 24.0 |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | 2 | 21 | 20 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 |
| 4 | Western Kentucky | 2 | 14 | 21 | 4 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 5 | Rice | 2 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 35 | 17.5 |
| 6 | Marshall | 2 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 7 | Florida International | 2 | 9 | 19 | 4 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 8 | UTSA | 2 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 31 | 15.5 |
| 9 | Old Dominion | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 10 | Florida Atlantic | 2 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 26 | 13.0 |
| 11 | Charlotte | 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 12 | UTEP | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 10.0 |
| 13 | North Texas | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8.0 |