Former Mustang Standout Elijah Ponder Makes History Sunday with Patriots
9/21/2026 9:54:00 AM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Former Cal Poly defensive end Elijah Ponder scored the first touchdown by a Mustang in a National Football League game in 18 years Sunday afternoon.
Ponder scooped up a fumble after defensive tackle Christian Barmore stripped the ball from Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Ponder scampered 19 yards down the right sideline for the score with 13:37 to play, giving the Patriots a 20-3 lead.
New England won the game 20-3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
In his second season in the NFL, Ponder also sacked Rodgers for a 13-yard loss with 5:40 remaining in the contest. He finished the game with five total tackles, including three for lost yardage.
Prior to Sunday, the last ex-Mustang to score a touchdown in the NFL was defensive lineman Chris Gocong, who recovered a Dallas Cowboys fumble in the end zone for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 15, 2008, at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys won the game 41-37.
In 2001, former Mustang wide receiver Chris Thomas caught a touchdown pass for Kansas City against the Washington Redskins. The three-yard pass from Trent Green came with 10:21 remaining in the game on Sept. 30, 2001.
Ponder earned three tackles in Sunday's game. A week earlier at Seattle, Ponder notched a pair of tackles. During his first NFL season in 2025, Ponder finished with 24 total tackles (14 solo) with four sacks in 15 games.
Ponder played 47 games as a Mustang from 2020-24, recording 167 total tackles, including 106 solo stops and 26.5 sacks.
