Slippery Rock's Chad Kuhn tackles challenge of going from QB to DE

Chad Kuhn never played a down of defense at Kiski Area.

As the Cavaliers quarterback, he focused solely on offense, but when Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz saw the type of athlete Kuhn was — combined with his wrestling background — Lutz thought the potential was there for a transition to defensive end.

Lutz’s intuition turned out to be spot on.

Kuhn, a redshirt junior, has become one of the top pass-rushers in NCAA Division II. He has 11 1/2 sacks, which is tied for ninth nationally, and has helped No. 8 Slippery Rock to the national semifinals for the first time in 21 years.

The Rock (13-0) will try for their first trip to the D-II national championship when they host No. 4 Minnesota State (13-0) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

“Sometimes it can be kind of weird to see a quarterback transition to defense end, but we knew we were getting a great athlete, and Chad has a relentless attitude,” Lutz said. “He practices really hard. His motor never stops, and he has that will to win.

“He’s so quick off the ball, and he gives you a mismatch right away. … If a quarterback knows that he’s coming all the time, a lot of times that leads to that quarterback making mistakes.”

Kuhn forced a mistake when Slippery Rock needed a defensive stop last Saturday in a wild 65-59 quarterfinal win over Notre Dame (Ohio). With the Falcons facing a fourth down from their 35 in the final two minutes, Kuhn hit quarterback Chris Brimm as he threw the ball, causing a wobbly pass that was intercepted by Shane Schuback.

“In that last series, I wasn’t sure what to expect because that was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of, but when you have a playmaker like Chad Kuhn that can make something happen in an instant, it adds a dimension,” Lutz said. “This time of year, you have to win one-on-ones, and he’s been able to do that throughout the entire year.”

Kuhn’s journey to defense started by taking a redshirt and working on the scout team. He hadn’t played defense since eighth grade, but he used techniques and hand movements from his wrestling days to get comfortable.

“Obviously the offense has taken over this year, but when I was getting recruited here, Slippery Rock was known for their defense,” Kuhn said. “I knew if I came here and worked hard on the scout team and learned how to play defense, the coaches and the veterans would help me. I pretty much trusted the process and believed that I could get it done.”

Kuhn has kept up with a family tradition of playing big-time games in December. His older brother, Shane, was a fullback for Youngstown State and played in the FCS national championship in 2017. A younger brother, Troy, is a redshirt freshman defensive end at Duquesne.

Chad Kuhn has taken plenty of advice from his older brother.

“One thing Shane has told me that makes a difference when it comes to the playoffs is who lifts harder during the season,” Kuhn said. “It comes down to who continues to get stronger and whose body is more ready to go.”

The entire Kuhn family will be in attendance Saturday.

Minnesota State is coming off a 42-21 win over Texas A&M-Commerce in the quarterfinals.

“Minnesota State is a strong team. You can tell that they lift hard,” Kuhn said. “They’re definitely built better than what Notre Dame was. They don’t make many mistakes. Their O-line is really good with their eye discipline. What I look at with offensive linemen is if they are leaning in their stance, if their feet are a certain way or if their eyes are looking a certain way. That’s going to give away what direction he’s going, and I haven’t really seen that on film yet, so that means that they are really well coached.”