Black Shoe Diaries: Penn State Football Podcast

We are back for another round of Penn State football trivia. This time, our returning champion Tim Aydin is taking on BSD staffer Brian Bennett.

What are the easiest games on Penn State's schedule? What games look most difficult? We're taking a look at each and every game and power ranking them accordingly.

Our latest episode of HVR takes a look back at a game best known for its crazy weather, flying snowballs, and a game-sealing fake field goal touchdown run. We're talking of course, about the 1995 "Snow Bowl" between Penn State and Michigan. Link to full broadcast: https://youtu.be/m55CxOLkFJI?si=XDt0K6LAtWbJ08e4 0:00 Intro (and a quick plug for our channel) 1:48 State Of The Program 10:53 Most Rew...

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. (Classic Pat that I messed up the first answer. Everything else is correct though.)

We're back with another episode of Happy Valley Rewind, as this time we take a look back at the culmination of the 2012 season when Penn State knocked off the Wisconsin Badgers on Senior Day. Full game is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrUIhmavINc&t

Eight Penn State Nittany Lions were drafted over the last few days, so we're going through each pick and breaking down what could be in store during their NFL careers.

We're headed back to the 90's once again for our "Happy Valley Rewind" series, as three self-described 90's children (Tim, Bennett, and Jared) recount their memories and do a deep dive in the 1997 clash between No. 2 Penn State and No. 7 Ohio State. Full broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9jwaoQTPmY Condensed version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBdOmhc3W58&t=156s

Spring practice is alive and well in Happy Valley so we're going to go position-by-position to preview what the Nittany Lions have heading into the 2026 season, and which players in particular this spring is vital for.

We continue our "Happy Valley Rewind" series by looking back at a spectacular Saquon Barkley game that ended with the heroics of Trace McSorley and Juwan Johnson. The full game can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSuyTPIrEdI

Cael Sanderson takes aim at his 13th NCAA team title at Penn State, while the Nittany Lions have legitimate individual title contenders in eight of 10 weights. How will they fair? We're joined by "Locked On Nittany Lions" host Zach Seyko to get the lowdown.

Happy Selection Sunday, college hoops fans! We've got a special basketball edition of HVR for you with a look back at perhaps the greatest win in Penn State Basketball history, when the No. 7 seed Nittany Lions upset the No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels to reach the Sweet 16 in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Here's a couple of videos you can watch to follow along: 15-minute highlight reel: https://w...

Next up in our "Happy Valley Rewind" series is a look back at arguably the greatest comeback win in program history. No. 2 Penn State overcame an early 21-0 deficit to ultimately win 35-31 at Illinois and preserve an undefeated record, in what has become one of the defining moments of the memorable 1994 football season. If you want to rewatch the game before watching this video, check out the link...

The offseason is chugging along and so are we. We're back to discuss the culture shift at Penn State under the Campbell regime, Friday night games in the Big Ten, and how the NFL draft is shaping up for the Penn Staters.

It's the offseason which means we're debuting a new series -- Happy Valley Rewind! We'll be rewatching Penn State games from past years, and discussing every angle of them that you could imagine. First up, the game that very well turned around the James Franklin era in Happy Valley: Minnesota 2016. If you'd like to rewatch the game and then listen to the episode, you can see a replay of the game h...

Former BSD writer Clay Sauertieg joined me on the YouTube show last night to discuss Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. We went through each recruit in the class, sharing our thoughts and expectations for them over the next few seasons.

The Big Ten finally released the 2026 conference schedule last night, and Penn State got itself a pretty favorable deal. We take a look at the schedule and discuss the upsides and downsides to it.

While there are still some more moves to come, a large portion of Penn State's roster is set that we have a decent idea of who will be making up much of the depth chart in 2026. We grade Penn State based on how it did retaining the holdovers, getting Iowa State players, and getting non-ISU players in the portal.

The portal has been open for 6 days and Penn State already has 23 transfers, the large majority coming from Iowa State. We discuss all the transfers and their potential impacts, while pondering how we as fans navigate this new world of heavy roster upheaval.

The transfer portal has been open for just over 24 hours, and there's already been a lot of movement on Penn State's part. We'll rundown the roster and see where things stand for the Nittany Lions, including which Iowa State players we are most intrigued by. *Note: This was recorded Saturday morning before the Ben Brahmer commitment became official.

The 2025 Penn State football season and the short (but sweet) Terry Smith era is officially in the books, and the Matt Campbell era is now in full swing. Tim and Jared break it all down for you.

With Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl showdown against Clemson approaching, we take a look at who's opted out and who is still expected to suit up this Saturday. Also, with today being Festivus, we air out our grievances for you people to hear about.

Penn State is in bowl prep for the Pinstripe Bowl, but our focus is on the future. We take a look at the hires Matt Campbell has made thus far with his coaching staff, and then discuss which current Nittany Lions are most important to keep.

The Matt Campbell era is upon us in Happy Valley! We discuss Campbell's opening presser on Monday afternoon, and look ahead to what comes next the following days and weeks.

We went live on YouTube at 5:30 about two hours before this became official, so there's a lot of "potentially" and "if it happens" talk because we were still superstitious. Still, get our thoughts on Matt Campbell coming to Penn State.

Pat, Tim, and Jared are back to discuss the latest happenings in this hell of a coaching search. Will it be Brian Daboll? Will it be Terry Smith? Will Pat Kraft survive this?