Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Big Ten Superlatives: Week 1
Happy first full college football weekend – it was fun. Right? Well, at least it was fun around here with Penn State’s dominant win against Marshall. But, we are here to discuss some of the other things – good and bad – that happened around the conference. So, you may have missed some interesting stuff. […]
MMQB: Feeling Bullish, Yet?
Hope you’re all enjoying a relaxing Labor Day! It’s safe to say the vibes amongst Nittany Nation are quite simpatico after this past weekend’s demolishing of Marshall in the season opener. This, in combination with seeing teams we thought would give Penn State serious problems such as Michigan and Washington struggle with their respective opponents […]
Position Grades: Marshall
Welcome back to another fine season of Position Grades! Per usual, my grades will either be too harsh, too lenient, or just right, depending on your point of view. As always, feel free to drop your takes in the comments section below, but let’s get right to dissecting one of the most satisfying head coaching […]
Penn State Shuts Down Marshall in Matt Campbell Debut: Post-Game Link Pump
It has happened – the Koby Howard Breakout Game…and more on his electrifying performance. Rocco Becht proved himself as the real deal with a four-TD, 0-INT game. Penn State kicked off its latest chapter with an outstanding overall appearance. A staggering 60 new players joined the team in 2026, making for many first memories in […]
A Start Better Than Hoped
Rewriting history is in no one’s best interest. The Nittany Lions had plenty of near-flawless starts to the season in the past decade plus. It would NOT be rewriting history, however, to say the past few season openers came with more anxiety than one should expect from a team that, allegedly, was competing for national […]
Social Media Reacts to Penn State vs. Marshall & More from Week 1
The Matt Campbell era is off to a triumphant start in Happy Valley as Penn State football trounced Marshall 45-0 in the season opener. Between subtle stadium changes, breakout players, and a generally good vibe, there was plenty to talk about on social media during the game. Once media was allowed into Beaver Stadium early […]
Penn State Opens as Large Favorite Over Temple
Penn State faced Marshall as a 23.5-point favorite in week one, crushing expectations with a 45-0 victory. They have now opened as Temple with the same line – as a 23.5-point favorite in week two over the Owls. The Nittany Lions kicked off the Matt Campbell era with a satisfying shutout victory, with strong performances […]
BSD YouTube Show: Penn State Blows Out Marshall
We’ll be live on YouTube at 7:05 p.m. EST to discuss Penn State’s 45-0 victory over Marshall. Come join.
Late Games Open Thread
Penn State is finished for the day, but there’s more football, including a showdown in Death Valley Southwest. Come hang out with us while we watch!
The New Era: No. 18 Penn State 45, Marshall 0
It’s a new day in Happy Valley. Fortunately the Nittany Lions, it’s a good day too as Penn State beat Marshall 45-0 in Matt Campbell’s debut as head coach. For anyone who was worried about a sluggish start, their concerns were quickly alleviated as Penn State dominated in all facets in the first quarter. The […]
Three Takeaways From No. 18 Penn State’s 45-0 Win Over Marshall
1) Hi there, receivers Catching balls, yards after catch, being open, scoring. Oh how we missed y’all! All three starters had their moments, but Koby Howard had a monster game. Howard had 133 yards on seven receptions last season. Through the first half, he had 123 on four. It’s almost as if he should have […]
Penn State – Marshall Open Thread
At long last, the Penn State Nittany Lions take the field under Matt Campbell, and face off against the Marshall Thundering Herd! The game is at 3:30 ET on FS1, so come hang out with us while we watch! One thing to note – we will not have separate open threads for each quarter. This […]
Early Morning & Noon Games Open Thread
College football is here! Penn State takes on Marshall this afternoon at 3:30 on FS1, but there’s a bunch of football before then. Hang out with us while we prep for the season opener!
What to Watch For in Penn State Vs Marshall
The Matt Campbell era starts in on Saturday, and with it come a number of questions, all of them beaten to the ground this offseason. Those questions will get their answers soon enough, so the first three I want to see: Efficiency on offense Explosive plays are all the rage, and for good reason. But […]
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 […]
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