Skip to main content

Black Shoe Diaries

DOMINATE THE STATE

Total reads

3,219

This week

47

Rank

#70 of 457

Published

1,051 posts

Active 18.5 posts/week Last post about 10 hours ago
Last 12 weeks

Most read posts

Featured on Sportsblogs

Run this blog? Add the badge to your site to show readers you're featured — it links back to this page.

Featured on Sportsblogs

Latest Entries

Penn State Ranked No. 16 in Both Coaches, AP Polls

Penn State moved up in the week 1 version of the polls! They’re now No. 16 in the Coaches poll, as well as No. 16 in the AP. The absolute demolition of Marshall, maybe to a point not expected by the voters, allowed the Nittany Lions to start its ascent to a potential top 10 […]

Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 1

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 […]

Nittany Lions in the NFL 2026: Final Rosters

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 graduated from Penn State without transferring away are included. Italicized= rookies. Which players do you think will be the standouts from this group? Which rookies will surprise […]

NFL

Stock Up, Stock Down (9.8.26)

We are back for another season of Stock Up, Stock Down. For those new, I use this post to focus in on one maybe two Penn State topics, but try to use it for bigger picture college football stories. STOCK UP Penn State Wide Receivers It was just five years ago that we were watching […]

This Week in Happy Valley: Bringing Home The Bacon

Koby Howard reflects on his breakout performance against Marshall. Howard’s 95.6 PFF grade from Saturday’s game was the highest for any Penn State wide receiver. Defensive end Caleb Bacon was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Penn State’s offensive line is off to a good start. The view from Beaver Stadium’s updated west […]

Caleb Bacon Named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week

It was a game of firsts for Caleb Bacon. Not only was it the first game of 2026, but also Bacon’s first game as a Nittany Lion after transferring from Iowa State, as well as his first game as a full time defensive end since switching from linebacker. It’s safe to say all the changes […]

CFP Bracketology: Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season was mostly business as usual, but several results from the weekend slate have started the conversation around the College Football Playoff. The selection process for the 12-team playoff has been tweaked from the previous two seasons: My projected field after Week 1 is as follows: Some notes from […]

Big Ten Superlatives: Week 1

Happy first full college football weekend – it was fun. Right? Well, at least it was fun around here with Penn State’s dominant win against Marshall. But, we are here to discuss some of the other things – good and bad – that happened around the conference. So, you may have missed some interesting stuff. […]

MMQB: Feeling Bullish, Yet?

Hope you’re all enjoying a relaxing Labor Day! It’s safe to say the vibes amongst Nittany Nation are quite simpatico after this past weekend’s demolishing of Marshall in the season opener. This, in combination with seeing teams we thought would give Penn State serious problems such as Michigan and Washington struggle with their respective opponents […]

Position Grades: Marshall

Welcome back to another fine season of Position Grades! Per usual, my grades will either be too harsh, too lenient, or just right, depending on your point of view. As always, feel free to drop your takes in the comments section below, but let’s get right to dissecting one of the most satisfying head coaching […]

Penn State Shuts Down Marshall in Matt Campbell Debut: Post-Game Link Pump

It has happened – the Koby Howard Breakout Game…and more on his electrifying performance. Rocco Becht proved himself as the real deal with a four-TD, 0-INT game. Penn State kicked off its latest chapter with an outstanding overall appearance. A staggering 60 new players joined the team in 2026, making for many first memories in […]

A Start Better Than Hoped

Rewriting history is in no one’s best interest. The Nittany Lions had plenty of near-flawless starts to the season in the past decade plus. It would NOT be rewriting history, however, to say the past few season openers came with more anxiety than one should expect from a team that, allegedly, was competing for national […]

Social Media Reacts to Penn State vs. Marshall & More from Week 1

The Matt Campbell era is off to a triumphant start in Happy Valley as Penn State football trounced Marshall 45-0 in the season opener. Between subtle stadium changes, breakout players, and a generally good vibe, there was plenty to talk about on social media during the game. Once media was allowed into Beaver Stadium early […]

Penn State Opens as Large Favorite Over Temple

Penn State faced Marshall as a 23.5-point favorite in week one, crushing expectations with a 45-0 victory. They have now opened as Temple with the same line – as a 23.5-point favorite in week two over the Owls. The Nittany Lions kicked off the Matt Campbell era with a satisfying shutout victory, with strong performances […]

Late Games Open Thread

Penn State is finished for the day, but there’s more football, including a showdown in Death Valley Southwest. Come hang out with us while we watch!

The New Era: No. 18 Penn State 45, Marshall 0

It’s a new day in Happy Valley. Fortunately the Nittany Lions, it’s a good day too as Penn State beat Marshall 45-0 in Matt Campbell’s debut as head coach. For anyone who was worried about a sluggish start, their concerns were quickly alleviated as Penn State dominated in all facets in the first quarter. The […]

Three Takeaways From No. 18 Penn State’s 45-0 Win Over Marshall

1) Hi there, receivers Catching balls, yards after catch, being open, scoring. Oh how we missed y’all! All three starters had their moments, but Koby Howard had a monster game. Howard had 133 yards on seven receptions last season. Through the first half, he had 123 on four. It’s almost as if he should have […]

Penn State – Marshall Open Thread

At long last, the Penn State Nittany Lions take the field under Matt Campbell, and face off against the Marshall Thundering Herd! The game is at 3:30 ET on FS1, so come hang out with us while we watch! One thing to note – we will not have separate open threads for each quarter. This […]

What to Watch For in Penn State Vs Marshall

The Matt Campbell era starts in on Saturday, and with it come a number of questions, all of them beaten to the ground this offseason. Those questions will get their answers soon enough, so the first three I want to see: Efficiency on offense Explosive plays are all the rage, and for good reason. But […]

Interviews with Frenemies: Marshall

It’s another year of Interviews with Frenemies – where we look to those who follow and cover Penn State’s opponents for their take on what that week’s matchup might look like. I am taking a departure with today’s post, though I do want to say that you can read about Marshall (and the Sun Belt […]

BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: Marshall

The 2026-27 season is upon us, and the Penn State Nittany Lions open the year by hosting the Marshall Thundering Herd. How does the staff see this one playing out? Chris At long last, the Matt Campbell era begins at Penn State! A whole off-season of coaching changes and roster turnover are finally behind us, […]

Only James Peoples Until Penn State Football

When I originally volunteered to take the one-day-left portion of the countdown a few months ago, there was nobody on the current roster wearing the No. 1 jersey. Since that time, not one, but two current Nittany Lions have switched to said jersey number. Ohio State running back transfer James Peoples is one of them, […]