Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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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 […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Northwestern Wildcats
Head Coach: David BraunNorthwestern Record: 19-19 Quick 2025 Recap The Wildcats had a rough week one with a 23-3 loss to Tulane, but were able to bounce back by winning four of the next five. The sole loss was at #4 Oregon, where some early turnovers killed promising drives and chances for an upset of […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Wisconsin Badgers
Head Coach: Luke FickellWisconsin Record: 14-19 (80-46 overall) Quick 2025 Recap The Badgers got off to a 2-0 start with wins over Miami(OH) and Middle Tennessee, but their fortunes would quickly change once the schedule grew more difficult. A 38-14 loss at Alabama started a four game skid, at times appearing Wisconsin would not win […]
MMQB – Big 12 Team in the Big Ten?
There’s no doubt about the fact that the Penn State roster has taken on a new look compared to last season. Besides the usual attrition to graduation and the NFL Draft, the head coaching turnover led to a sizable exodus of players via the transfer portal, larger than usual at any rate. With Matt Campbell […]
Oh, Hello: MA Quarterback Will Wood Commits To Penn State Football
The Skinny Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 210 poundsHometown/High School: Westwood, MA (Xaverian Brothers )Ranking: ★★★ (88 Rivals — No. 37 QB)Notable Offers: Boston College, West Virginia, Arkansas, Maryland, Syracuse Highlights The Tale Penn State went all in on Peter Bourque after he decommitted from Michigan, but heavy hitters Georgia and Ohio State entered the fray late, and Virginia […]
Spring Sports Update: Men’s Lacrosse Advances
Men’s Lacrosse (10-5) It wasn’t always pretty, but the men’s lacrosse team advanced past Army 10-6 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hunter Aquino had a hat trick and one assist to inject life into the offense that was relatively quiet for most of the afternoon. Preston Hawkins made 12 saves on 18 […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Buffalo Bulls
Conference: Mid-American (MAC) Head Coach: Pete Lembo (3rd season, 14-11 overall) 2025 Record: 5-7 overall, 4-4 MAC 2025 Recap Buffalo opened the 2025 season with their lone game against a Power 4 opponent, as the Bulls gave Minnesota a run for their money, trailing only 13-10 going into the fourth quarter, before the Gophers ultimately […]
Oh, Hello: Egor Shilov Commits to Penn State Hockey
Penn State hockey continued its resurgence on the recruiting trail when Victoriaville Tigres center Egor Shilov committed to Penn State on Thursday: Shilov is one of the top center prospects in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Most projections have him going late in the first round. The 18-year old finished seventh among all QMJHL skaters […]
Oh, Hello: Three-Star New Jersey RB Chukwuma Odoh Commits To Penn State
THE SKINNY Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 215 poundsHometown/High School: Plainfield, NJ (Paramus Catholic)Ranking: ★★★ (87 Rivals — No. 55 running back)Notable Offers: Auburn, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State, Syracuse, Wisconsin HIGHLIGHTS OUTLOOK Penn State landed South Carolina four-star Aiden Gibson earlier this week, which was apparently just the nodge Odoh needed to make the call for the Nittany […]
Penn State Basketball Adds New Recruit, Assistant Coach, and Preseason Tournament
It’s been a busy week as far as basketball news is concerned: Mike Rhoades filled out his roster with yet another international recruit, filled an assistant coaching vacancy, and got some scheduling news for the 2026-2027 season. 6’10” Serbian forward Aleksandar Zecevic became the latest addition to the roster. Zecevic has been playing professionally in […]
2026 Opponent Snapshot: Temple Owls
Conference: American Conference Head Coach: K.C. KeelerTemple Record: 5-7 Quick 2025 Recap Temple had its most successful post-COVID season in 2025, scraping together five wins under first-year head coach K.C. Keeler. The Owls had a bit of a bad schedule draw last year as they faced off with three ranked teams in No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 18 […]
Oh, Hello: Charlie Michaud Commits to Penn State Hockey
Entering this week, Penn State hockey had replaced two of its three outgoing defensemen but still needed one more depth piece to round out the blue line. The Nittany Lions got their wish with a commitment from Charlie Michaud on Tuesday: Michaud is transferring in from Miami (OH), where he played just six games in […]
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