2016 American Athletic Conference Leaders Rushing Defense - From Opponent's 40 to Own 40 Yard Line through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Att | Yards | Avg. | TD | Long | 1st | 10+ | 20+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulane | 12 | 101 | 534 | 5.29 | 1 | 45 | 28 | 18 | 10 |
| 2 | Houston | 13 | 102 | 313 | 3.07 | 0 | 38 | 24 | 18 | 6 |
| 3 | East Carolina | 12 | 123 | 733 | 5.96 | 3 | 55 | 30 | 20 | 7 |
| 4 | Temple | 14 | 124 | 351 | 2.83 | 1 | 55 | 26 | 10 | 1 |
| 5 | Connecticut | 12 | 125 | 503 | 4.02 | 2 | 54 | 29 | 15 | 5 |
| 5 | Tulsa | 13 | 125 | 590 | 4.72 | 3 | 44 | 29 | 19 | 9 |
| 7 | Memphis | 13 | 132 | 641 | 4.86 | 3 | 53 | 40 | 17 | 4 |
| 8 | South Florida | 13 | 134 | 569 | 4.25 | 1 | 45 | 28 | 18 | 8 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 12 | 138 | 550 | 3.99 | 1 | 49 | 36 | 12 | 1 |
| 10 | SMU | 12 | 144 | 588 | 4.08 | 3 | 60 | 32 | 18 | 7 |
| 11 | Navy | 14 | 147 | 570 | 3.88 | 0 | 26 | 43 | 16 | 4 |
| 12 | UCF | 13 | 155 | 549 | 3.54 | 2 | 56 | 36 | 21 | 5 |
| 1st: First Downs; 10+: Rush attempts of 10 or more yards; 20+: Rush attempts of 20 or more yards | ||||||||||