Former Mustang standout Elijah Ponder recorded his first career NFL touchdown Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Foxborough, Mass. It was the first NFL touchdown a Mustang has scored in 25 years. Ponder last scored during his second year at Cal Poly.
“Pick six, I think it was like 70 yards or something,” Ponder said. “All I can remember, I was just dead tired afterward.”
Ponder scooped up a fumble after defensive tackle Christian Barmore recorded a strip sack on Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, returning it 19 yards down the right sideline for the score with 13:37 to play, giving the Patriots a 20-3 lead.
After the game, Ponder told Patriots Wire he planned to keep the ball as a memento of his first touchdown.
“I’m definitely going to keep the ball,” Ponder said. “This is my first touchdown, so I’m definitely going to keep the first one. But honestly, when I score, I just black out. It’s just too much excitement. So, I just started screaming. That is usually what happens. But yeah, definitely a blessing.”
Before Sunday, the last Mustang to score an NFL touchdown was wide receiver Chris Thomas for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Washington Redskins in Week 3 of the 2001 season.
Ponder filled up the stat sheet in Sunday’s win with five tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and the scoop-and-score. After signing with New England as an undrafted free agent in 2025, Ponder has carved out a role on the defending AFC champions’ defense.