Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Three Takeaways From No. 13 Penn State’s 24-20 Loss Vs Wisconsin
1) Red Zone Woes The Lions continue to fail once they reach the red zone. In their second drive, with the ball at the two, Penn State couldn’t get the two yards to punch it in, and had to settle for three. That failure to score would prove poetic, as the Lions found themselves down […]
Late Games Open Thread
Penn State is done for the day, but there’s more football out there, including a top 20 showdown in Los Angeles, so chill out with us while we partake!
Penn State – Wisconsin Open Thread
Penn State begins Big Ten play, taking on the Wisconsin Badgers at 5:00 PM ET on Peacock! Come hang out with us while we watch! One thing to note – we will not have separate open threads for each quarter. This thread will be your one stop shop for all things PSU-Wisconsin. Let’s get it!
Early Morning Open Thread
Penn State opens Big Ten play against Wisconsin at 5:00 PM ET today, so come hang out with us while we get ready for the game!
The 5 College Football Games to Watch in Week 4
Before diving in, please note that Big Ten games are not included below since they are covered in our weekly Big Ten preview. Clemson at Cal 10:30 p.m., ESPN (Friday) This may not be worth the late-night viewing, but this game could answer two interesting questions — is Dabo Swinney’s time at Clemson coming to […]
BSD Mailbag 9.25.26
3 weeks into the new era. What are you happy with, what are you worried about?–JayMPSU I’m happy about the vertical passing game, and the distribution of the ball to so many different receivers. Even with Koby Howard out for the next few weeks, I”m optimistic that we’ll see some other players step up – […]
Interviews with Frenemies: Wisconsin
After a Week 3 break, we are back with our weekly Q and A series with a fellow blogger. This week, check out Bucky’s 5th Quarter to read all about Wisconsin as they prep for Saturday’s game with Penn State. We exchanged some questions with Rohan Chakravarthi. Head on over to our sister site to […]
BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: Wisconsin
Following a solid win over Buffalo to complete the non-conference schedule, Penn State welcomes Wisconsin to start Big Ten play. How does the staff see this one playing out? Chris Aside from some nitpicky things, Penn State showed a lot of improvement against Buffalo. The run game finally got going, with the passing and defense […]
Fall Sports Update: Women’s Hockey Drops The Puck
Women’s Volleyball (8-2) The women’s volleyball team dispatched Villanova 3-1 but fell 3-1 to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon to close out the non-conference slate. Penn State hit just .218 against Tennessee and allowed five aces. The Nittany Lions have looked better than the disastrous 2025 season, but it appears the team is a few steps […]
Big Ten Preview: Week 4
We’ve hit conference play. After this weekend, every team in the Big Ten will have at least one league game under their belt. This makes your preview shorter – but the games more meaningful. So, plan accordingly. FRIDAY NIGHT Howard (1-2) at Rutgers (0-3), 7 p.m. on BTN Details: Rutgers put up a valiant effort […]
BSD YouTube Show: Wisconsin Preview (And Koby Howard Is Hurt)
Well, it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows in Happy Valley. Matt Campbell announced that Koby Howard would be out for an “extended” period of time. We react to the news and how Penn State will move forward with Koby. Plus, we preview this Saturday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers. The audio version is on Apple […]
No. 13 Penn State vs. Wisconsin: Game Preview
The Nittany Lions open up Big Ten play against the Badgers after a 3-0 start. Penn State (3-0, 0-0) vs. Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0) Kickoff: 5 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College, PA The Betting Line: Penn State -9.5 (Fanduel) TV: Peacock, 5 p.m., Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Matt Cassel (analyst), Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline) Weather: A nice day with highs in the upper […]
Penn State Injury Report: Rappleyea, Brock Riker Listed Questionable For Wisconsin
For in-conference matchups, the Big Ten is requiring teams to release an injury report the Wednesday night before Saturday games. We got our first look at Penn State’s for Wisconsin, though Matt Campbell did discuss a bunch of these names during his Wednesday morning press conference. Obviously, the Koby Howard news has been covered. At […]
Midweek Musings – Adapt and Overcome
With news that blossoming star wide receiver Koby Howard got hurt against Buffalo, alongside tight end Andrew Rappleyea and center Brock Riker, it’s time for this Penn State team to face adversity for the first time. Sure, there was some friction playing Temple, but that was mostly self-inflicted, and the team was able to sort […]
Penn State WR Koby Howard to Miss ‘Extended’ Time with Injury
The message board rumors are true. Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell announced after practice Wednesday that star wide receiver Koby Howard will miss an “extended period of time” with an undisclosed injury. His injury is not season-ending. Campbell said earlier this week that Howard got “dinged up” during his second touchdown against Buffalo, […]
Lion Tales: Wisconsin 1996
Back when Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, the Nittany Lions had never beaten Wisconsin. The Badgers were 2-0 against Penn State and the teams didn’t face one another until September 1995 when Wisconsin upset the Lions, snapping a 20-game winning streak. In 1996, Penn State was once again rolling. They were 4-0 […]
What We Learned About College Football in Week 3
Trinidad Chambliss Vaults Up the Heisman List Chambliss finished eighth in Heisman votes in 2025, but if voting took place following the playoffs the odds are that Chambliss would have been second after Fernando Mendoza. Chambliss has picked up right where he left off, and should be the current frontrunner after another incredible display to […]
Just the Stats: No. 13 Penn State vs Wisconsin
Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0; 0-0 Big Ten) vs Wisconsin Badgers (2-1; 0-0 Big Ten) 5:00 p.m. ET, September 26 – Peacock Beaver Stadium (Capacity: 106,572 / University Park, PA) Tableizer using codebeautify.org Penn State Value (Nat’l Rank) Value (Nat’l Rank) Wisconsin Advantage Rushing Offense (ypg) 205.0 (38) 109.0 (48) Rushing Defense (ypg) Push Passing […]
Bowl Projections 2026: Week 3
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: Citrus Location: Orlando, FL Date: January 2nd, 2027 Opponent: Alabama Crimson Tide CBS Sports: Bowl/CFP: […]
This Week In Happy Valley: Defense Leads The Way
Penn State football’s secondary exits non-conference play as one of the team’s most dominant position groups. Who should be Penn State’s starting running back as Big Ten play begins? The most important stats behind Penn State’s quick 3-0 start. Saturday’s win over Buffalo was the lowest recorded attendance at Beaver Stadium since the start of […]
Blessed & Honored: Penn State Set For Major Visit Weekend
George Parkinson To Visit Penn State In-state 2028 four-star edge rusher George Parkinson is scheduled for a visit to Beaver Stadium for Saturday night’s conference opener against Wisconsin: Parkinson is the No. 2 player from Pennsylvania and the No. 13 edge rusher in the 2028 class. His recruitment has been very quiet so far, but […]
35 Random Thoughts On Buffalo
1. Matt Millen on the call for BTN. Terrific. 2. Disappointed we only got “There’s no fear in McPherson” twice. I for sure thought Millen had that tee’d up for one more during the game. 3. (The joke here is that “McPherson” is usually pronounced “Mc-fear-son” but Alex McPherson pronounces his last name “Mc-furr-son” thus […]
Nittany Lions in the NFL 2026: Week 2
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 3
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 […]
CFP Bracketology: Week 3
Another chaotic week of college football has reshaped the playoff picture as we approach the end of September. The SEC in particular got a major shakeup with Ole Miss’ triumphant 32-24 win over LSU on Saturday night. My projected field after Week 3: Some notes from Week 3:
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