Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Penn State Demolished by Northwestern: Post-Game Link Dump
Rocco Becht needs to play better if Penn State is going to turn its season around. The Nittany Lions are searching for answers after its second consecutive loss to open Big Ten play. Northwestern didn’t just beat Penn State – they piled on as they racked up over 400 rushing yards. Penn State was out-physicaled […]
Nittany Lions Out of the Rankings.
After another deflating loss, Penn State is now officially out of both the Associated Press poll and the Coaches Poll. Indiana (5th in Coaches, 7th in AP), Ohio State (5th in AP, 6th in Coaches), Oregon (13th),USC (17th in Coaches, 19th in AP), and Iowa (18th in Coaches, 20th in AP) are Big Ten teams […]
Penn State Opens as Underdog Against USC
Penn State has opened as an underdog for the first time in the 2026 season. Following back-to-back loses to begin Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions will be a 1.5-point home underdog when they face USC on Saturday. Despite the game being the annual White Out, the oddsmakers are still not confident in Penn State’s […]
Social Media Reacts to Penn State vs. Northwestern & More from Week 5
Is this rock bottom? Only time will tell. The Matt Campbell era is off to a disastrous start in Happy Valley, as Penn State football has now lost its first two games of Big Ten play. Things weren’t particularly close in Evanston, either, as Northwestern walked away with a blowout win and a memorable first […]
Embarrassment Is A Choice
Back in my Penn State days, I had a manager at one of the jobs one does to make ends meet when one is a poor college student. That manager always said “embarrassment is a choice” as a way to encourage folks to make mistakes and learn. If you embrace the fact that you did […]
Three Takeaways From Penn State’s 34-13 Loss To Northwestern
1) A bill of lies We were told all offseason that this defense was built to stop the run. Meanwhile, Northwestern ran for 413 yards, with the top two backs both topping 160 yards apiece. A new stadium doesn’t do that to you. 2) Quitting is for losers It took 12 years to get a […]
Saturday Games Open Thread
Penn State played last night, and so we have an entire fall Saturday with no commitments! Come hang out with us while we soak up whatever else college football has to offer today!
Yikes: Northwestern 34, Penn State 13
I could give you a play-by-play or a drive-by-drive breakdown of tonight, but what use would it be? This game was a total ass kicking, one that Penn State hasn’t felt in quite some time. And it wasn’t at the hands of Ohio State or Michigan or Oregon or USC — it was Northwestern. Penn […]
BSD YouTube: Penn State Gets Smoked By Northwestern
The worst Penn State loss since…well, last year. But still, man, that sucked. We react to it.
Penn State – Northwestern Open Thread
Penn State heads on the road to play Northwestern for their first Big Ten road game of the season at 8:00 PM ET on FOX! 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 […]
2026-27 Big Ten Hockey Preview
While Penn State hockey does not play its first game until next Friday, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all begin their seasons with non-conference games this weekend. The Big Ten is set to begin its 14th season of existence in Division I hockey. The conference sent two teams to the Frozen Four last year in Michigan […]
What I Want to See From Penn State Against Northwestern
Last we saw of the Nittany Lions, they were busy blowing a 17-point lead with conservative play calling and poor quarterback play. How will they respond this week? Aggression from start to finish If there’s one thing I want to be done with, is the idea of getting an early lead and holding on to […]
BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: Northwestern
Following a collapse of epic proportions against Wisconsin, Penn State heads on the road to play Northwestern. How does the staff see this one playing out? Chris Hoo boy. A week after losing in borderline historic fashion, Penn State now gets to head on the road to take on a Northwestern squad that a) gave […]
Fall Sports Update: Volleyball Struggles In Michigan
Women’s Volleyball (9-3) The women’s volleyball team split its road games in Michigan, defeating Michigan 3-1 and falling to Michigan State 3-1. Penn State outblocked Michigan 11-2 in a four-set win over the Wolverines. Kennedy Martin added 18 kills, and Ava Falduto added 15 digs for the defense. Michigan hit just .106 for the match. […]
BSD YouTube Show: Previewing Penn State vs. Northwestern
Can Penn State get back on the right track against Northwestern? The Nittany Lions will head to the ~new~ Ryan Field hoping to bounce back after a tough loss to Wisconsin. We break it all down. 0:00 Intro1:19 Final Takeaways from Wisconsin17:10 Previewing Northwestern33:36 Quick plug for our channel (Please Subscribe!)35:26 Overreactions from Week 41:02:20 […]
Big Ten Preview: Week 5
With Penn State playing on Friday night, you have all day to take in conference play – if you still feel like watching college football. If that’s the case, these are the Big Ten games that you can view on Saturday. SATURDAY NOON WINDOW Michigan (3-1, 0-1) at Minnesota (3-1, 1-0), 12 p.m. on FOX […]
Lion Tales: Ryan Field
One of Friday night’s big stories is that Northwestern will be opening its posh new version of Ryan Field with a nationally televised game. The previous stadium was completely torn down with the new place being built right upon the rubble along Central Street in Evanston. Rather than look back at one game, here’s a […]
Under New Management: Look Over There
Unsurprisingly, Matt Campbell faced a number of questions about his decision making process following the loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The majority of his questions, in fact, were about the loss and his decision making process. On the 4th-and-1 punt: Campbell defended the fourth-and-one punt to start the fourth quarter. He noted that the defense […]
Just the Stats: Penn State at Northwestern
Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1; 0-1 Big Ten) vs Northwestern Wildcats (2-1; 0-1 Big Ten) 8:00 p.m. ET, October 2 – Fox Ryan Field (Capacity: 35,000 / Evanston, IL) Tableizer using codebeautify.org Penn State Value (Nat’l Rank) Value (Nat’l Rank) Northwestern Advantage Rushing Offense (ypg) 183.5 (43) 199.3 (128) Rushing Defense (ypg) Passing Offense (ypg) […]
What We Learned About College Football in Week 4
Florida Makes a Statement It’s been a long road back to contention for the Gators. According to early returns, they may have found their guy in Jon Sumrall. Florida annihilated #4 Ole Miss on Saturday, 52-28, helping the Gators leap from #21 to #8 in this week’s rankings. While Ole Miss may have been suffering […]
Penn State Commits in Action: Mid-Season Tape Rolling In
While Penn State’s current team is working through its first hiccup of the Matt Campbell era, plenty of future Nittany Lions put their talent on display under Friday night lights. Campbell’s 2027 class is now up to No. 20 in the country with plenty of flip chances still on the board. Penn State Class of […]
Bowl Projections 2026: Week 4
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: ReliaQuest Location: Tampa, FL Date: December 31, 2026 Opponent: Texas A&M Aggies CBS Sports: Bowl/CFP: […]
Midweek Musings – Can the Offense Be Salvaged?
This past weekend against Wisconsin, the offense was, well, offensive. In the first half, the offense had 6 possessions, 3 of which ended in punts, and 1 of which ended the half. They only managed to score on 2 drives – 1 field goal, and 1 touchdown on a short field thanks to an interception […]
This Week In Happy Valley: McKenna Makes Leafs Roster
Former Penn State forward Gavin McKenna made the Toronto Maple Leafs’ opening night roster. He will make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The stats behind Penn State’s unlikely loss to Wisconsin. Penn State’s tight end room struggled to find its footing against Wisconsin. Attendance has been declining across college football over the […]
Blessed & Honored: Penn State Offers West Virginia Commit
Penn State Offers West Virginia Commit Penn State extended an offer to in-state 2027 wide receiver and current West Virginia commit Chase Guers: Guers committed to the Mountaineers in June. He has visited Penn State four times, including last Saturday. His other offers include Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pitt, Northwestern, Virginia, and Cincinnati. It is hard […]
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