Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Which devastating loss’s “What-If” is more painful?
This is, of course, based on my personal experience watching Penn State football since the mid-1990’s. Feel free to debate in the comments. What if Ron Johnson hadn’t tipped the Hail Mary? It would be too easy to say “What if Dan Nystrom had missed the field goal?” The play that allowed Minnesota to shock […]
Only Bobby Mears Until Penn State Football
Penn State will be on the field in 93 days against Marshall. No. 93 on this year’s roster is redshirt junior defensive end Bobby Mears. The Malvern Prep grad has not appeared in any games during his time in Happy Valley, though he did earn academic all-conference honors back in 2024. In high school, Mears […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Conference: Big Ten Head Coach: Greg Schiano (18th season)2025 Record: 5-7, 2-7 Big Ten Quick 2025 Recap Rutgers took a relative step back in 2025 after receiving bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024. It had been on an upward trajectory after Greg Schiano took back over as head coach in 2020, but threw things […]
Only Ryan Barker Away from Penn State Football
Back in 2024, Penn State went on the road for a crucial game against USC and Ryan Barker was called upon for the biggest field goal attempt of his life in overtime. The kick was true. The Lions escaped with a thrilling come-from-behind victory. And Ryan Barker cemented his status as Penn State’s starting kicker. […]
Only Cristiano Rosa Away from Penn State Football
Penn State will be on the field at Beaver Stadium in 95 days for its season opener against Marshall. The guy kicking off to start that game might just be No. 95 Cristiano Rosa. The redshirt senior is a well-traveled player, who originally played at his home state Central Connecticut State. There, Rosa played in […]
Opponent Snapshot: Minnesota Golden Gophers
Head Coach: PJ Fleck (10th year, 66-44 at Minnesota, 96-66 overall) 2025 Record: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big Ten Quick 2025 Recap Minnesota completed its second straight 8-5 season, thanks to an overtime win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl. Their most notable wins from the season include a snowy 17-7 win over bitter rival […]
Only “The Drive” Away from Penn State Football
In 96 days, Penn State will open its 2026 season at home against Marshall. Presently, there’s no number 96 on the program and this is a shameless use of the 96 as Tim just used the 96-yard drive against Illinois in last year’s preseason countdown. That’s right. The biggest threat to Penn State’s 12-0 season […]
MMQB – Can Penn State Make the Playoffs?
The first year of Matt Campbell’s tenure at Penn State is still 96 days away, and there’s been absurd amounts of roster turnover and coaching upheaval. But the warm weather has me feeling optimistic, and so MMQB asks: can Penn State make the playoffs in 2026? Let’s start with a (very high level) record prediction. […]
Only Keanu Williams Until Penn State Football
Another day closer from the end of the offseason and it’s another transfer defensive tackle who will be featured as Penn State is now 97 days away from the start of the 2026 football season. Wearing No. 97 will be Keanu Williams, a 6’5, 329 pound defensive lineman who started 11 games last year at […]
Only Dallas Vakalahi Until Penn State Football
With our annual countdown underway, we decided to go back to the old formula of using current players on the Penn State roster that coincide with the days remaining until the Lions open with Marshall. This is especially important with a new-look roster in play for 2026, which includes No. 98 Dallas Vakalahi. The junior […]
Opponent Snapshot: Washington Huskies
Head Coach: Jedd FischNorthwestern Record: 15-11 (32-33 overall) Quick 2025 Recap The Huskies had a “ho-hum” 9-4 season where they mostly beat the teams they should have while losing to the top-tier teams on the schedule. They aced the non-conference slate with blowout victories over Colorado State, UC Davis and Washington State in the Apple Cup. Things […]
Only Yvan Kemajou Days Until Penn State Football
The Matt Campbell era begins at Penn State in 99 days when the Nittany Lions play host to Marshall in the season opener at Beaver Stadium. No. 99 in your program that day will be sophomore defensive end Yvan Kemajou, who will figure to push for playing time as a talented, yet still young, edge […]
Learning to Love Again
A year ago, I was writing prodigiously about the upcoming 2025 Penn State football season. Repeatedly, I remember noting that this was the most anticipated season in Happy Valley since Sports Illustrated tabbed the Nittany Lions No. 1 back in the preseason of 1999. My excitement for the season was at that proverbial fever pitch, […]
Only 100 Days Until the Start of a Brand New Era of Penn State Football
It’s been a long, strange journey to the 2026 countdown. At this time one year ago, we eagerly awaited the start of a season with dreams of it ending with a national championship. As you know, those dreams were quickly dashed as the James Franklin Era came to an abrupt end. It looked like things […]
Kickoff Times Announced for Penn State’s Non-Conference Games
Penn State’s 2026 football schedule is becoming more clear with the release of three additional kickoff times. The kickoff times for first three games of the year, which include the entirety of Penn State’s non-conference schedule, have been announced. The Nittany Lions will kickoff the season at home against Marshall at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, September […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Purdue Boilermakers
Head Coach: Barry OdomPurdue Record: 2-10, 0-9 Quick 2025 Recap It was the inaugural season for Barry Odom who came to West Lafayette after a successful two-year stint at UNLV. While Odom got Purdue off to a 2-0 start, that was about where the achievement ended as the Boilermakers didn’t win another game the rest […]
Ten Years Later: A Look Back At How BSD Covered The 2016 Penn State Football Season
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when somebody brings up the 2016 Penn State football season? Perhaps it’s Saquon Barkley’s walk-off game-winning touchdown against Minnesota in overtime, or the block-six that led to the dramatic upset win over Ohio State, or maybe it’s the epic comeback win over Wisconsin in the Big […]
MMQB – Happy Memorial Day BSD
Happy Memorial Day BSD! The unofficial start of summer is upon us, as many of us light up our grills, turn on the AC, and roll back the pool covers for the first time this year (maybe not if you live in PA, because it will apparently be March forever). Enjoy the time with your […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Michigan Wolverines
Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham Last Season’s Record: 9-4, 7-2 in Big Ten Quick 2025 Recap: The Wolverines performed poorly against top competition on the field, and dealt with controversy on the field en route to to a mediocre season. The Maize and Blue started off with a victory against New Mexico before falling in their […]
Spring Sports Update: Men’s Lacrosse Stumbles Against Princeton
Men’s Lacrosse (10-6) The men’s lacrosse team had an opportunity to advance to the Final Four for the second straight year, but Penn State fell 14-10 to Princeton on Sunday. Chase Robertson had a hat trick and Kyle Lehman scored twice, but Princeton’s offense solved goaltender Preston Hawkins with 14 goals, including five in the […]
Oh, Hello: New Jersey TE Sean Currie Commits To Penn State
THE SKINNY Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 230 poundsHometown/High School: Lawrenceville, NJ (The Lawrenceville School)Ranking: ★★★ (87 Rivals — No. 52 tight end)Notable Offers: Florida State, Missouri, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Washington HIGHLIGHTS OUTLOOK The Nittany Lions already have one tight end in the class in South Dakota four-star Cooper Terwilliger, but the new staff will […]
Oh, Hello: Utah DT Aniti Paiva Commits To Penn State
THE SKINNY Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 300 poundsHometown/High School: Draper, Utah (Skyline H.S.)Ranking: ★★★ (87 Rivals — No. 94 DT)Notable Offers: Arizona, Boise State, Colorado, Oregon State, Washington State HIGHLIGHTS OUTLOOK Kalani Sitake might have turned down the Penn State job, but the Nittany Lions are still in the Utah business thanks to defensive tackles coach Ikaika […]
Tony Rojas Rings in Awards Watch List Season
We’re just a few days shy until the 100-day countdown for the start of the 2026 Penn State season. A clear sign that college football season is creeping ever closer is the release of the first awards watch list, which includes Nittany Lions standout linebacker Tony Rojas. Rojas has been named to the Lott IMPACT […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: USC Trojans
Head Coach: Lincoln Riley2025 Record: 9-4 (7-2 Big Ten) Quick 2025 Recap USC easily started 4-0 with wins against Missouri State, Georgia Southern, Purdue, and Michigan State. The Trojans fell to Illinois in their first real test of the season on a last-minute field goal after coming back from 14 down in the final quarter […]
BSD YouTube Show: Penn State Football Trivia
We are in the doldrums of the college football offseason so we’re going to pass the time with some Penn State football trivia. 10 rounds, 10 topics, only one of Tim or Jared will leave victorious. We’ll be live on YouTube tonight at 7 p.m. EST. Come join! The audio will be on Spotify and […]
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