The Rose Bowl crowd got the thriller they came for, but the 78th Turkey Tussle ended with Pasadena’s hopes turning into nightmares.

Costly turnovers and a failed 2-point conversion in the final moments haunted the Bulldogs as Muir Football sealed a 28–20 win under the lights at the Rose Bowl.

The Mustangs came out firing. Quarterback Trey Gamble found his rhythm early, connecting on touchdown passes to Alijhah Smith and Noah Bozeman to give Muir a commanding 14–0 lead within the first six minutes.

Pasadena answered late in the first quarter when quarterback Dutch Burbidge hit Kyle Robertson on a 32-yard strike to close the gap to 14–7. The Bulldogs kept the pressure on, adding another score in the third quarter to make it 21–14, setting up a tense finish.

The last five minutes delivered pure drama. Pasadena fumbled with 4:25 remaining, seemingly ending their comeback hopes. Muir took over deep in its own territory with a chance to drain the clock, but Muir lost the ball on the first play of the drive, giving Pasadena new life. The Bulldogs capitalized, punching in a late touchdown to pull within one. Their gamble for two points, however, was stopped short — and that missed opportunity proved costly.

Moments later, Muir’s offense delivered the knockout blow. Gamble connected once again with Bozeman, this time on a 65-yard touchdown with just 32 seconds left, sealing the victory and silencing the Pasadena sideline.

The win sealed  Muir as Pacific League Champions at 7-0 (9-1 overall ) and marked the Mustangs’ third straight Turkey Tussle triumph, keeping the Victory Bell ringing blue and gold for another year. Pasadena finished 3rd in the Pacific League and 6-4 overall.

With the regular season complete, both teams now turn their attention to the upcoming CIF-Southern Section playoff pairings, set to be announced Sunday morning. Both programs are playoff-bound and awaiting word on their next opponent.