Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Penn State Hockey Is Losing Its Edge
It’s no secret that the 2026-27 Penn State athletics season has been a disaster. Unsurprisingly, most of the attention in mid-October is on the football team, but arguably even more alarming for me has been the abysmal start for the men’s hockey team. Penn State has started the season 0-4 for the second time in […]
Bowl Projections 2026: Week 7
Welcome back to our weekly series tracking some of the bowl/CFP picks for Penn State football following each game, This season, we will follow ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS Sports, with occasional bonus picks from other publications. Yahoo Sports/Sports Illustrated: Bowl/CFP: Mayo Location: Charlotte, NC Date: December 26, 2026 Opponent: North Carolina Tar Heels CBS Sports: […]
Midweek Musings – QB Concerns
I wrote a few weeks back after the loss to Northwestern that Matt Campbell may need to consider changing quarterbacks after two back-to-back losses wherein Rocco Becht looked increasingly worse. I wrote on Monday that Rocco (and by extension, Campbell) need to take accountability for the poor play at the quarterback position following a fourth […]
Robert Morris 5, Penn State 2: Speechless
Penn State hockey has started 0-4 for the second time in program history and the first time since the shortened 2020-21 season with an embarrassing 5-2 loss to Robert Morris. The Colonials had not held a lead all season prior to tonight’s game but never trailed against Penn State. First Period Just 20 seconds into […]
Penn State Hockey Preview: Robert Morris
Penn State hockey will look to snap its abysmal 0-3 start to the season with a Tuesday night game against Robert Morris. How To Watch Who: Robert Morris ColonialsWhen: Tuesday, October 20Where: Pegula Ice Arena, State College, PATime: 6pmTV: Big Ten PlusRadio: Penn State Sports Network Projected Lineup Justin Larose-Kale Dach-Justin PoirierShea Van Olm-Dane Dowiak-Reese […]
This Week In Happy Valley: Football Blues
Michigan’s quarterback change surprised Penn State’s defense. Is it time for a quarterback change? What is wrong with the hockey team? The wrestling team will have to rescue Penn State from a dismal athletic season. Athletics spending is up to $250 million a year at Penn State. The return on investment is not there. Tickets […]
Blessed & Honored: Penn State Offers Top 100 MA Lineman
As the 2026 season continues to decline and a key 2027 recruit flips to Boston College, finding positive recruiting news for Penn State football has felt like finding a needle in a hay stack. Or more painfully, finding hay in the needle stack. Penn State Offers Massachusetts Lineman Penn State has extended an offer to […]
Nittany Lions in the NFL 2026: Week 6
Here’s a list of the current Nittany Lions in the NFL listed by 53-man roster. As a reminder, only players on the active roster or IR, and who finished their college career at Penn State without transferring away are included. Italicized= rookies. Arizona Cardinals: Blake Gillikin, Kalen KingAtlanta Falcons: Jahan DotsonBaltimore Ravens: Olaivavega IoaneBuffalo Bills: […]
Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 7
Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season. The rules are few, but resolute: Teams are ranked by how they’re […]
Stock Up, Stock Down (10.20.26)
STOCK UP CHASE SOWELL When you look at the large majority of this Penn State team, things are not going well. But in light of this dark time, we must find the…uh….light. On Saturday, that light was wide receiver Chase Sowell, who finished the day with 11 receptions for 151 yards and 1 touchdown. The […]
Penn State-Purdue to Kickoff at 4:15 PM on Big Ten Network
Earlier today, the Big Ten announced its kickoff time and broadcast networks for Halloween weekend, and Penn State will get another strange late afternoon kick time when they face Purdue at 4:15 PM EST on Big Ten Network. Both the Nittany Lions and Boilermakers will be coming off bye weeks sporting 3-4 records and trying […]
CFP Bracketology: Week 7
With all the change happening in college football over the last five years, especially with NIL, the transfer portal, and ever-growing conferences, sometimes it feels like the sport has lost its magic. But it is important to remember that no matter how much money TV executives make or wealthy boosters throw at players for NIL, […]
Social Media Reacts to Penn State vs. Michigan & More from Week 7
The losses just keep piling up for Matt Campbell and Penn State, who are now 0-4 in conference play. The Nittany Lions showed signs of life early against Michigan and kept it close through the balance of the game. Penn State marched down the field with a methodical drive to open the game, but failed […]
Big Ten Superlatives: Week 7
It was an extremely wild week around the nation in college football. In the Big Ten, things weren’t quite as crazy. But let’s catch up on the best (and worst) of the weekend. Best Win of the Win: Ohio State Survives Well, the Buckeyes both won and lost in a top-five showdown against defending conference […]
BSD MVP Michigan: Chase Sowell
It was an easy choice for the best player on the field for Penn State this past Saturday against Michigan. Wide receiver Chase Sowell accounted for nearly half of the team’s offense in a 21-18 loss in the Big House. Sowell caught 11 passes for 151 yards and a score against Michigan’s vaunted defensive backs […]
MMQB – Accountability
This past weekend, Penn State lost its fourth straight game, this time to the Michigan Wolverines, by a score of 21-18. The loss was due in no small part to the play of quarterback Rocco Becht. After a solid opening drive that saw Becht complete all 6 of his pass attempts and led to the […]
Oh, Goodbye: 2027 Three-Star QB Will Wood Flips From Penn State To Boston College
Penn State’s 2027 recruiting class is down a commitment as three-star QB Will Wood decommitted from Penn State and flipped to Boston College. Penn State originally landed Wood over Boston College back in the spring, but the Connecticut native will now be staying more local for college as he’ll head to BC. Listen folks, not […]
Massive Shake-Up of the Polls Puts Seven Conference Teams in the Rankings
After a wild weekend, the Big Ten continues to place teams in both the Associated Press poll and the Coaches Poll. Ohio State (2nd in Coaches, 3rd in AP), Indiana (6th), UCLA (9th in AP, 10th in Coaches), Iowa (14th in Coaches, 15th in AP), USC (15th in Coaches, 16th in AP), Northwestern (23rd in […]
Position Grades: Michigan
So, I guess that was fun for a half, no? Not really? Oh well, let’s just go ahead and get this over with… Quarterback: F Rocco Becht almost single-handedly lost Penn State the game with his three turnovers, all of which led to Michigan cashing in for touchdowns. That’s your difference-maker, right there. Running Back: […]
Penn State Hands Game to Michigan: Post-Game Link Dump
Chase Sowell was a rare bright spot for the Nittany Lions offense. Penn State’s rush defense had a strong first half before deflating later in the game. Rocco Becht addressed his struggles in Big Ten play following the fourth straight loss to open conference play. Michigan made a change at quarterback – something Matt Campbell […]
An Exercise In Patience
Allow me to engage in a conspiracy theory here while I cope with the debacle that is the 2026 Penn State football team. Almost 20 years ago, in 2007, the world of college football went belly up with crazy weekend after crazy weekend. Top 10 teams losing left and right. The curse of number 2. […]
Late Games Open Thread
Penn State is done for the day, but there’s more football this evening, including a top 10 showdown in Provo, so chill out with us while we partake!
Michigan 21, Penn State 18: The Pain Never Ends
Penn State fell 21-18 to Michigan on Saturday afternoon to extend the losing streak to four games and drop the team to 0-4 in Big Ten play. Penn State received the ball first and marched methodically down the field. The Nittany Lions moved 69 yards on 16 plays and converted twice on third down. But […]
BSD YouTube Show: Penn State Finds A Way To Lose Again
It says a lot about this team that Penn State being up 3-0 at halftime was a *positive*. Anyway, they lost — like usual. We discuss. We’ll have the audio versions on Spotify and Apple after the game.
Three Takeaways From Penn State’s 21-18 Loss to Michigan
1) Killer turnovers Penn State held on for dear life for most of the game. In the third quarter, Michigan used three Rocco Becht turnovers —two interceptions and a fumble, to put the game out of reach. 2) A little bit of courage Michigan was doing nothing on offense with Bryce Underwood at quarterback. In […]
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