2004 Emerald Bowl

2004 Emerald Bowl
Emerald Bowl logo prior to 2005
New Mexico Lobos Navy Midshipmen (7–4) (9–2) Mountain West Independent 19 34 Head coach:  Rocky Long Head coach:  Paul Johnson
1 2 3 4 Total New Mexico 7 12 0 0 19 Navy 14 10 7 3 34
Date	December 30, 2004
Season	2004
Stadium	SBC Park
Location	San Francisco, California
MVP	Aaron Polanco (Offense) Vaughn Kelley (Defense)
Favorite	New Mexico by 1[1]
Referee	Ed Ardito (C-USA)
Halftime show	Astoria High School Marching Band[2]
Attendance	30,563[3]
Payout	US$750,000[4]
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN2
Announcers	Eric Collins and Andre Ware
Nielsen ratings	2.04[5]
Emerald Bowl  < 2003 2005 >

The 2004 Emerald Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the New Mexico Lobos and the Navy Midshipmen on December 30, 2004, at SBC Park in San Francisco, United States. The game, which Navy won with a final score of 34–19, was highlighted by a 26-play drive from the Midshipmen that took up almost 15 minutes of game time and set the record for the longest drive in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football game.^[6] The contest was the third time the Emerald Bowl was played and the final game of the 2004 NCAA football season for both teams.

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.

The game began at 1:35 p.m. PST in rainy conditions that had affected the San Francisco Bay Area for days before the contest. The Lobos scored a touchdown on the game's first drive to take an early lead, but the Midshipmen scored three touchdowns to bring the score to 21–7 early in the second quarter. After the Lobos narrowed that lead to 12 points by the end of the third quarter, the Midshipmen began a long drive which took up much of the fourth quarter. The drive ended with a field goal, which gave Navy a 15-point lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. On the next drive from the Lobos, the Midshipmen forced a turnover on downs and ran out the clock with their last possession to win the game.

Midshipmen players Aaron Polanco and Vaughn Kelley were named the game's offensive and defensive Most Valuable Players, respectively. The win caused the Midshipmen to finish the season with a 10–2 record, their best record since the 1905 season. After the game, the Associated Press College Poll and the USA Today Coaches' Poll ranked the team as the 24th best in the nation. The loss caused the Lobos' record to fall to 7–5.