2016 National Leaders First Downs - Games vs. FCS (I-AA) Teams Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army | 2 | 49 | 7 | 3 | 59 | 29.5 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 2 | 17 | 24 | 4 | 45 | 22.5 |
| 3 | South Alabama | 2 | 16 | 25 | 0 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 4 | Texas Tech | 1 | 11 | 25 | 1 | 37 | 37.0 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 1 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 5 | Middle Tennessee | 1 | 12 | 22 | 1 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 5 | TCU | 1 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 35 | 35.0 |
| 8 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 34 | 34.0 |
| 8 | Missouri | 1 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 34 | 34.0 |
| 8 | Louisiana Tech | 1 | 10 | 24 | 0 | 34 | 34.0 |
| 8 | Texas State | 1 | 7 | 25 | 2 | 34 | 34.0 |
| 12 | BYU | 1 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 33 | 33.0 |
| 13 | Colorado | 1 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 13 | Washington State | 1 | 5 | 23 | 4 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 13 | Kent State | 2 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 16 | Western Michigan | 1 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 31 | 31.0 |
| 16 | Ohio | 1 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 31 | 31.0 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 1 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 31 | 31.0 |
| 19 | West Virginia | 1 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 30 | 30.0 |
| 20 | Air Force | 1 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 20 | Wake Forest | 1 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 20 | Troy | 1 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 20 | Duke | 1 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 1 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 20 | Colorado State | 1 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 29 | 29.0 |
| 26 | Auburn | 1 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 1 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Southern Mississippi | 1 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | North Texas | 1 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | San Jose State | 1 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | North Carolina State | 1 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Ball State | 1 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Kansas | 1 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | East Carolina | 1 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Rice | 1 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 26 | Tulsa | 1 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 28 | 28.0 |
| 38 | Arizona State | 1 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 38 | UTEP | 1 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 38 | Fresno State | 1 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 38 | UCF | 1 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 38 | Clemson | 1 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 38 | Memphis | 1 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 44 | Rutgers | 1 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 44 | Louisiana-Monroe | 1 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 44 | Florida State | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 47 | Georgia Tech | 1 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Arkansas | 1 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Houston | 1 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Maryland | 1 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | SMU | 1 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Purdue | 1 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 47 | Syracuse | 1 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 55 | New Mexico | 1 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 55 | Eastern Michigan | 1 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 55 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 55 | Akron | 1 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 55 | Massachusetts | 1 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 60 | Utah State | 1 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Boston College | 1 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Baylor | 1 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Central Michigan | 1 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Western Kentucky | 1 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Connecticut | 1 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Buffalo | 1 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 60 | Oklahoma State | 1 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 23 | 23.0 |
| 68 | Tulane | 1 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Miami (Florida) | 1 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Wyoming | 1 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Miami (Ohio) | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | South Florida | 1 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Mississippi | 1 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Bowling Green | 1 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 68 | Cincinnati | 1 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 76 | UNLV | 1 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Arizona | 1 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Marshall | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Illinois | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Oregon | 1 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 76 | Tennessee | 1 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 82 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 82 | Washington | 1 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 82 | Old Dominion | 1 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 82 | UTSA | 1 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 82 | Arkansas State | 1 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 87 | Michigan State | 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 87 | Florida Atlantic | 1 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 87 | Utah | 1 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 87 | San Diego State | 1 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 87 | Virginia | 1 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 92 | Navy | 1 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 92 | LSU | 1 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 92 | Charlotte | 1 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 92 | Nevada | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 96 | Toledo | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 96 | Georgia | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 96 | Oregon State | 1 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 96 | Pittsburgh | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 100 | Northwestern | 1 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 16.0 |
| 100 | Iowa State | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 16.0 |
| 102 | Hawai'i | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 102 | Idaho | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 104 | Alabama | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 104 | Kentucky | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 104 | Temple | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 107 | Georgia State | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 107 | Kansas State | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 13.0 |
| 109 | Iowa | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 |