The conference independent Navy Midshipmen , who finished the regular season with a 9 – 2 record , accepted an invitation to play in the game on November 22 , 2004 . Eight days later , the 7 – 4 New Mexico Lobos agreed to fill the open spot reserved for a Mountain West Conference team . Leading up to the game , sports writers predicted that a major highlight of the contest would be the rushing offenses of Midshipmen head coach Paul Johnson and Lobos head coach Rocky Long ; both teams ranked in the top rushing offenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) . The Lobos also ranked as one of the nation 's top rushing defenses
conference independent
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
2004 Emerald Bowl