Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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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, […]
Fall Sports Update: Women’s Volleyball Survives Scare
Women’s Volleyball (3-0) The women’s volleyball team fell in two sets to SMU at the Spikes Under The Lights exhibition last Thursday. The team looked rusty going up against a Mustangs team that had already played one match against a high-quality opponent the weekend before. The Nittany Lions opened the regular season with three straight […]
Only Audavion Collins Until Penn State Football
After spending two seasons at Mississippi State, Audavion Collins transferred to Penn State and played right away for the Nittany Lions. He was a rotational corner in the 2024 season, playing in all 16 games, and then became a starter for all 13 games last season. He finished the year with 47 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, […]
Penn State vs. Marshall: Game Preview
A brand new era of Penn State Football is on the horizon as the Nittany Lions face Marshall in week one. Penn State (0-0) vs. Marshall (0-0) Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College, PA The Betting Line: Penn State -23.5 (Fanduel) TV: FS1, 3:30 p.m., Jack Kizer (play-by-play), Matt Helrich (analyst) Weather: A comfortable day with a high […]
B1G Preview: Week One
Hello BSD readers, it’s Bennett here in a new spot: previewing each week’s Big Ten action. We’ll go about this in the following manner: I’ll organize the games by viewing windows, I’ll write a paragraph previewing the game, I’ll tell you if you should watch said game, I’ll give you the spread (taken from whatever […]
BSD YouTube Show: Previewing The 2026 Season
We are back with our season preview show! We’ll be going live tonight on YouTube at 7 p.m. EST to discuss Marshall and every other game on the schedule as football season is finally here. The audio version will be available tomorrow on Spotify and Apple.
Lion Tales: Season Openers
Welcome back to Lion Tales, a weekly historical look at Penn State football. Marshall and Penn State have played twice – with the Lions holding a 2-0 edge in the series with both games being played in 1929 and 1930 respectively. So, we’ll skip any recap of just how those games went, though that 1930 […]
Bowl Projections 2026: Preseason
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: Bowl: Citrus Location: Orlando, FL Date: January 2nd, 2027 Opponent: LSU Tigers CBS Sports: Bowl: Citrus Location: […]
Under New Management: Matt Campbell’s Marshall Press Conference
Well well well, if it isn’t me, once again*, serving you fresh takes from our head coach heading into a football game. With new management come new cadences, new things to learn, and hopefully, by season’s end, new ticks** for us to poke fun at. Here’s Matt Campbell’s first in-season press conference as the Penn […]
Only Rocco Becht Until Penn State Football
As we enter the final three days of our countdown to kickoff of the Matt Campbell, we honor the focal point of his offense at Iowa State, the engine that made the team run. Bringing in a transfer portal quarterback is always a double-edged sword, but based on what we have read all offseason long, […]
What We Learned About College Football in Week 0
North Carolina is better – but probably not very good Hats off to Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels for topping TCU 15-10 in week 0, after being completely dismantled by the Horned Frogs to kick off the 2025 season. The defense has shown signs of improvement, especially along the defensive line. However, TCU’s offense […]
Only Brett Eskildsen Until Penn State Football
Brett Eskildsen is a junior wide receiver from Frisco, Texas, where he played high school football at Centennial. He stands 6-foot-1 and weighs around 190-198 pounds. He began his college career at Iowa State, playing in all 13 games in 2024 with one start, recording two catches for 17 yards. In 2025, Eskildsen broke out […]
Get the best of Black Shoe Diaries on the new SB Nation app
It’s a big day for Black Shoe Diaries. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Nittany Lions. You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android. A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition […]
Big Ten Power Rankings – Preseason
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 […]
Big Ten Superlatives: Preseason Edition
Happy first game week and welcome back to Big Ten Superlatives. This is a reminder that this is your weekly look around the conference’s best, worst, and most Big Ten West of things. Let’s look at some of the biggest storylines heading into the season, while also making a few predictions. Biggest Win of the […]
Only Daryus Dixson Until Penn State Football
Do you feel that extra bit of electricity in the air? That’s the feeling of a game week for Penn State Football – and the very first one of the Matt Campbell era. Daryus Dixson is set to play a major role for the defense in 2026. He played in every game as a highly-coveted […]
MMQB: Season Record Predictions
At long last, it’s game week! Kicking off the final week of off-season content, the BSD Masthead gave their thoughts on how they see the Lions’ first season under Matt Campbell shaking out. Let’s see what they have to say! Chris: 8-4 The Lions start out 3-0 in the non-conference, breaking in the new players […]
Penn State a Large Favorite Over Marshall in Season Opener
Welcome to game week! Week 0 is in the books. It was a big day for former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula, who helped lead Virginia to a 34-8 thumping over conference foe NC State. Charles Huff, part of James Franklin’s initial staff as running backs and special teams coach, also had a hot start […]
Only Koby Howard Days Until Penn State Football
Penn State is less than a week away as the Lions will be at home in six days to take on Marshall. Wide receiver Koby Howard will be wearing No. 6 for Penn State this season. A year ago, Howard was getting buzz in camp about his play, but he didn’t really start seeing the […]
Week 0 Open Thread
College football is back, let’s gooooooooooooo! Penn State doesn’t play until next week, but you better believe I’ll be glued to the TV for the first college football since January! On the docket today, we have: There are a few other games, but unfortunately they’re on rather niche channels, so I won’t bother with those. […]
Only Zion Tracy Days Until Penn State Football
Penn State opens play in seven days – and right now there are three players wearing No. 7 listed on the roster. The most prominent is senior defensive back Zion Tracy. He’s been a regular in Penn State’s secondary for the past two seasons, starting more than 25 games for the Nittany Lions. His most […]
Fall Sports Update: Erica Dambach Wins 300th Game
Women’s Soccer (1-1-1) After dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker to West Virginia last weekend, the women’s soccer team regrouped with a 5-0 win over Bucknell in last night’s home opener. Paige Pasinski, Lilly Burger, Hannah Jordan, Aubrey Kulpa, and Kaelyn Wolfe each scored one goal for Penn State. Mackenzie Gress made three saves to keep the […]
Only Kooper Ebel Days Until Penn State Football
Penn State football is a little more than a week away. In eight days, the Lions kick off at home against Marshall to begin the Matt Campbell era. At the current time, there are two players listed as wearing No. 8 for the Lions, both transfers from Iowa State. Senior linebacker Kooper Ebel has been […]
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