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Black Shoe Diaries

https://www.blackshoediaries.com/ | 325 entries published

DOMINATE THE STATE

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Penn State Hockey Series Preview: Michigan

After a rough series against Michigan State, No. 5 Penn State returns home to Pegula Ice Arena for a key series against No. 2 Michigan. The Nittany Lions will need to at least get a split to avoid falling too far behind in the conference standings. How to Watch Who: Michigan WolverinesWhen: Friday, November 14 […]

NHL

30 days ago | 0 reads

BSD Mailbag 11/14/25

Gerry Dincher asks: Name a Penn State centric and Michigan State centric item of bric a brac that you’d add to the glorious Land Grant Trophy. I’d love to see a piece of one of the Old Main Lawn oaks (or something made out of them) on the Land Grant Trophy. I do have to […]

30 days ago | 3 reads

Interviews with Frenemies: Michigan State

Two Big Ten teams meet Saturday looking for their first conference win of the season. So, how are things going in East Lansing? Well, we checked in with Oren “O” Basse of The Only Colors to take the temperature of the Michigan State fan base and preview Saturday’s game. Here’s what he had to say. […]

30 days ago | 3 reads

Wrestling Preview: No. 1 Penn State vs No. 15 Oklahoma

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The Nittany Lion wrestling team takes the mat again, this time looking for a program-record fifth straight team national title. They’re starting this season after their second record-setting national tournament in a row, and fresh off of seven participants winning four medals at this year’s under 23 […]

30 days ago | 0 reads

BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: Michigan State

The Lions head to Michigan State to try to get their first conference win of the season. How does the staff see this one playing out? Chris The team has been playing hard the last few weeks, if nothing else. If they continue to play like they did against Indiana (and the first half against […]

30 days ago | 2 reads

2026 NCAA Men’s Wrestling Storylines

First, let’s acknowledge the need to denote this as the men’s wrestling storylines. That’s because women’s wrestling has been added as the 91st NCAA championship sport. What an accomplishment for the wrestling community and hopefully there will be many more programs to come, including one for Penn State. On to business… Penn State Storylines The […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Fall Sports Update: Women’s Soccer Begins NCAA Tournament Journey

Women’s Soccer (9-7-3) Following its early exit from the Big Ten Tournament, the women’s soccer team was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 31st straight season. Penn State will face Army at home on Saturday (5pm on ESPN+) in the first round. The winner will then face the winner of the first round game […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Penn State at Michigan State: Game Preview

The Nittany Lions and Spartans are both seeking their first conference win while battling for the Land Grant Trophy. Penn State (3-6, 0-6) vs. Michigan State (3-6, 0-6) Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI The Betting Line: Penn State -7.5 TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m., Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline) Weather: A high of […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

The Who, the When and the Where of 2026 Penn State Wrestling

The Who Alright cats and kittens, here’s your roster and 2025-2026 schedule for your defending NCAA National Champs. This roster is loaded with talented wrestlers and listing all the accolades of these guys would require a separate post for each of them so here’s the abridged version of who we’ll see on the mat this […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

2025 11 11 Cael Sanderson Media Availability

Cael Sanderson met with the media yesterday, and BSD’s Nat Rasmussen was there to record and inquire: Coach Cael opened the event with: Yeah, I don’t really have anything. We’re just like every year, we’re excited to get going. Have all the confidence in the world in our staff and the student athletes in our […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Snap Counts: Indiana

39 Penn State players had at least one snap in Saturday’s heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Indiana. NOTE: Season totals in parentheses Offense: 66 snaps (590) Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer: 66 (225) Running Backs Nicholas Singleton: 36 (287)Kaytron Allen: 33 (309) Wide Receivers Trebor Peña: 40 (389)Kyron Hudson: 38 (429)Devonte Ross: 23 (275)Koby Howard: 22 (60)Tyseer Denmark: […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Midweek Musings – Can They Do It?

Penn State is 3-6 on the season, with several heartbreaking losses during their current 6-game skid. But according to many advanced metrics, the Lions are actually a good (not great) team. In order to “guarantee” a bowl game, the Lions must go 6-6 on the season. Bowls are typically reserved for teams that have at […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Penn State Football Commits In Action: Playoffs Heating Up

Four-star running back Messiah Mickens, who’s battled through injury his senior season, had a solid game in Harrisburg’s (PA) PIAA 6A District III quarterfinal win over Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, PA). Mickens rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries and scored once in the 21-9 victory. He also added a 15-yard reception via a slick one-handed […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Just the Stats: Penn State vs Michigan State

Penn St. Nittany Lions (3-6; 0-6 Big Ten) vs Michigan St. Spartans (3-6; 0-6 Big Ten) 3:30 p.m. ET, November 15—CBS Spartan Stadium (Capacity: 75,005 / East Lansing, MI) Tableizer using codebeautify.org Penn State Value (Nat’l Rank) Value (Nat’l Rank) MIchigan State Advantage Rushing Offense (ypg) 151.0 (78) 144.3 (T – 66) Rushing Defense (ypg) […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Bowl Projections 2025: Week 11

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, College Football News, and CBS Sports, with occasional bonus picks from other publications. Yahoo Sports/College Football News: Bowl/CFP Seed: Pinstripe Bowl is possible Location: N/A Date: N/A Opponent: N/A […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Penn State 80, Navy 71: Lions Handle Business

The Penn State Nittany Lions embarked on their third game of the season, on Veterans Day against Navy. The Midshipmen, projected by some to win the Patriot League, was poised to be come a good test for a young Lion squad looking to gel early. Early on, it certainly looked like that would be the […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

YAY HOOPS(?): Penn State vs. Navy Open Thread

The Nittany Lions face Navy in the friendly confines of the BJC. The Midshipmen are coached by Jon Perry, who replaced former Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis. The game is televised on BTN at 6:30 PM. If you haven’t done so already, check out our preview. As always, the usual open thread rules apply: Don’t […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Looking Back Before Looking Forward

After the Lions’ first dual of last season, on November 19, 2024, I wrote the following: Despite Penn State’s record-breaking performances last year, it’s looking and feeling like this season will provide even more fireworks. This 2025 lineup is so good and broad that extreme records such as 2001 Minnesota’s 10 All-Americans or the shared […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

This Week in Happy Valley: Hitting The Wall

The men’s hockey team fell to No. 5 after dropping both games to Michigan State. What went wrong for Penn State hockey against Michigan State. Women’s hockey is off to a hot start, but a tough five-game stretch is on the horizon. Women’s volleyball moved up a spot in the AVCA Poll. How improbable was […]

NHL

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Penn State vs. Navy Preview: Nittany Lions Return Home

Following Saturday’s 87-43 demolition of New Haven on the road, Penn State basketball returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to take on the Navy Midshipmen. How to Watch Who: Navy MidshipmenWhen: Tuesday, November 11Where: Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PATime: 6:30pmTV: Big Ten NetworkRadio: Penn State Sports Network Scouting the Opposition Jon Perry is in […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Blessed & Honored: In The Eye of The Storm

Matt Sieg Visits Notre Dame Four-star 2026 safety Matt Sieg visited Notre Dame over the weekend, and the Irish made a strong pitch for him: The way things are trending, it is only a matter of time before Sieg flips. He is still committed to Penn State, but Notre Dame has eaten our lunch in […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

21 Random Thoughts On Penn State’s Loss To Indiana

1. Saturday was a super weird day. I, for the most part, have basically had my guard up since the UCLA loss. I didn’t think I could be affected by a loss the rest of the season. 2. Northwestern didn’t bother me. I had tickets to the game and was outside tailgating and decided to […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Nittany Lions in the NFL 2025: Week 10

Here’s a list of the current Nittany Lions in the NFL listed by 53-man roster: *Just a reminder that again this season, I will not include players like Juwan Johnson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith that did not finish their college career at Penn State* Arizona Cardinals: Blake Gillikin, PJ Mustipher Atlanta Falcons: Arnold Ebiketie Baltimore Ravens: […]

about 1 month ago | 0 reads