2018 National Leaders Opponent First Downs - Games in December/January Only through 01/07/2019
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 1 | Eastern Michigan | 1 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 1 | Houston | 1 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6.0 |
| 4 | Navy | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 4 | Miami (Florida) | 1 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 7 | Iowa | 1 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 8 | Michigan | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 8 | Penn State | 1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 16.0 |
| 8 | LSU | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | 1 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 12 | Tulane | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 11.0 |
| 12 | North Carolina State | 2 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 11.0 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 1 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 12 | Utah State | 1 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 11.0 |
| 16 | Arkansas State | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 1 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 12.5 |
| 19 | Boise State | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 19 | TCU | 1 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 19 | BYU | 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 16.0 |
| 19 | Louisiana Tech | 1 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 19 | Ohio | 1 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 1 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 27 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| 27 | Akron | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 |
| 27 | Oregon | 1 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 27 | Kentucky | 1 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 27 | Baylor | 1 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 27 | Cincinnati | 1 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 27 | Purdue | 1 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 34 | Virginia | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 12.0 |
| 34 | Auburn | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 34 | Utah | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 34 | Syracuse | 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 1 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 34 | San Diego State | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 34 | Washington State | 1 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 41 | Liberty | 1 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 |
| 41 | Troy | 1 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 41 | Hawai'i | 1 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 41 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 30 | 30.0 |
| 45 | California | 2 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 32 | 16.0 |
| 45 | Florida | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 |
| 45 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 2 | 27 | 12 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 45 | Florida International | 1 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 45 | Western Michigan | 1 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 45 | South Florida | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24.0 |
| 51 | Fresno State | 2 | 25 | 13 | 2 | 40 | 20.0 |
| 51 | Nevada | 1 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 51 | North Texas | 1 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 |
| 51 | Toledo | 1 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 55 | Stanford | 2 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 36 | 18.0 |
| 55 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 |
| 55 | Buffalo | 1 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 21.0 |
| 55 | Washington | 1 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 55 | Oklahoma State | 1 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 60 | Army | 2 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 60 | Duke | 1 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 |
| 60 | Temple | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Middle Tennessee | 2 | 24 | 15 | 5 | 44 | 22.0 |
| 60 | Notre Dame | 1 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 26 | 26.0 |
| 60 | Missouri | 1 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 27 | 27.0 |
| 66 | Marshall | 2 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 40 | 20.0 |
| 66 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 42 | 21.0 |
| 68 | Clemson | 3 | 29 | 20 | 2 | 51 | 17.0 |
| 68 | Georgia | 2 | 19 | 20 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 |
| 70 | UAB | 2 | 12 | 21 | 6 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 70 | Appalachian State | 2 | 17 | 21 | 2 | 40 | 20.0 |
| 70 | East Carolina | 1 | 10 | 21 | 1 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 73 | South Carolina | 2 | 21 | 23 | 2 | 46 | 23.0 |
| 74 | Iowa State | 2 | 7 | 24 | 2 | 33 | 16.5 |
| 75 | UCF | 2 | 26 | 25 | 4 | 55 | 27.5 |
| 76 | Memphis | 2 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 60 | 30.0 |
| 77 | Ohio State | 2 | 16 | 27 | 5 | 48 | 24.0 |
| 78 | Texas | 2 | 14 | 28 | 7 | 49 | 24.5 |
| 79 | Oklahoma | 2 | 19 | 30 | 2 | 51 | 25.5 |
| 80 | Northwestern | 2 | 11 | 38 | 1 | 50 | 25.0 |
| 81 | Alabama | 3 | 24 | 41 | 5 | 70 | 23.3 |