2016 American Athletic Conference Leaders First Downs - Games vs. Non-Conference Teams Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis | 5 | 38 | 71 | 16 | 125 | 25.0 |
| 2 | East Carolina | 4 | 32 | 63 | 6 | 101 | 25.3 |
| 3 | Houston | 5 | 48 | 61 | 10 | 119 | 23.8 |
| 4 | Tulsa | 5 | 73 | 58 | 7 | 138 | 27.6 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 4 | 33 | 52 | 3 | 88 | 22.0 |
| 6 | Temple | 5 | 32 | 50 | 8 | 90 | 18.0 |
| 7 | South Florida | 5 | 57 | 49 | 11 | 117 | 23.4 |
| 8 | SMU | 4 | 33 | 42 | 9 | 84 | 21.0 |
| 9 | UCF | 5 | 53 | 39 | 17 | 109 | 21.8 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 4 | 26 | 39 | 7 | 72 | 18.0 |
| 11 | Navy | 5 | 58 | 25 | 7 | 90 | 18.0 |
| 12 | Tulane | 4 | 50 | 21 | 6 | 77 | 19.3 |