The 2004 Wyndham New Orleans Bowl featured the North Texas Mean Green and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. It was North Texas's fourth consecutive New Orleans Bowl appearance. Southern Miss quarterback Dustin Almond got Southern Miss on the board first with a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Otho Graves, to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, Dustin Almond scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 14-0. In the second quarter, kicker Nick Bazaldua got North Texas on the board with a 24-yard field goal to make it 14-3. Before halftime, Darren McCaleb connected on a 45-yard field goal to give USM a 17-3 halftime lead.