Cal Poly defensive player Elijah Ponder honored by Big Sky

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - After wreaking havoc in the University of San Diego's backfield during Cal Poly's first game of the season this past Saturday, Mustang redshirt junior defensive end Elijah Ponder has been named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.

Ponder earned the honor after matching his career-high with three sacks, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and nine total tackles.

The two-time All-Big Sky honoree anchored a Cal Poly defense that didn't allow the Toreros to score a touchdown in Cal Poly's 27-10 season-opening win at Mustang Memorial Field, marking the first time a Mustang defense has done so since the 2014 season.

For his career, Ponder now has 12.5 sacks which puts him just outside the top-20 in program history for career sacks.

This is the first Big Sky weekly award of Ponder's career. He and the rest of the Mustangs hit the road this week for a showdown with FBS opponent San Jose State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)