College Football Playoff: Why Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz is pulling for Curt Cignetti, Trinidad Chambliss
A few mile markers up the road, Curt Cignetti was in a similar spot as Slippery Rock University football head coach Shawn Lutz. Before emerging on a national scale this season, Trinidad Chambliss had to rally to beat The Rock in the NCAA Division II national semifinals in 2024.
Now both Cignetti and Chambliss are one step away from the College Football Playoff national title game.
Cignetti, the former Indiana (Pa.) head coach, leads the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers into the Peach Bowl semifinal against the No. 5 Oregon Ducks on Friday night. The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels will count on Chambliss to quarterback them to a victory over the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl semi Thursday.
“I do root for those guys to have success because they’re us,” Lutz said Wednesday night. “It’s funny. I remember Rich Rodriguez once saying — the coach at WVU, when he was at Glenville (State) — ‘They’re bus guys.’ What I mean by that is D-II guys ride the bus to games, and we all can relate to that.
“Now, of course, wherever Indiana’s going, they’re flying everywhere. Where (Cignetti’s) at, it’s a cool thing.”
Lutz also made sure to stress that, during Cignetti’s tenure in charge at IUP (2011-16), Cignetti went 2-4 against Slippery Rock. He went 33-11 with the Crimson Hawks overall before moving on to Elon (2017-18), James Madison (2019-23) and landing with the Hoosiers before last season.
“We know behind the scenes because we’ve been doing this (for) so long, the credibility of Slippery Rock, the PSAC and, primarily, all of Division II football, what type of talent it really is,” Lutz said. “I think it gives us a lot of good publicity. ... People that think that there’s not good football at the Division II level, (like) anyone could play it, that just shows how good the competition really is.”
Lutz was aware of Chambliss’ talent well before he headed to Oxford, Miss., to join Lane Kiffin. Rebels starter Austin Simmons got injured early in the season, opening the door for Chambliss to take the reins and not give them back.
SRU squared off with Chambliss and Ferris State in the 2024 Division II national semis. The Rock led 38-27 at halftime but were held scoreless in the second half.
Chambliss went 19 for 26 for 221 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the Bulldogs’ 48-38 win. He also ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Slippery Rock signal-caller Brayden Long was 27 for 48 for 398 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
“If you look at the stats, Brayden outperformed him with yards and completions,” Lutz said. “He had more interceptions, but it just shows you, really, how good the competition is.”
Lutz doesn’t use the potential for upward movement as a sales pitch to recruits. He already has enough to worry about. Division II doesn’t have any set windows for players to transfer like Division I does, which means they aren’t tied down to the spot they’re in.
“I just don’t wanna give those guys any (ideas),” Lutz said. “Even when I’m recruiting them, I know (in) the back of my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, he might not be here the entire time.’”
Entering his 11th season in charge at Slippery Rock, Lutz is fond of the stage he’s on.
“D-II is something really special,” Lutz said. “It gives you kind of a mixed balance between the purity of being a college athlete. We want to win just as bad as the big boys do, but you get a little bit more of the college experience, I think, a little bit more than (D-I).”
