Black Shoe Diaries Penn State Podcast

Well, if anyone can appreciate being at the bottom of the media dogpile during a scandal, it's our friends at Ohio State. Ramzy Nasrallah from Eleven Warriors joins us to talk about the Buckeyes, their dynamic offense (pretty sure Ramzy thinks the OSU offense makes PSU look like the Air Raid), and the art of being trolled by Sports By Brooks.

Afterward, Kevin and I have basically had it.

It's practically impossible to keep up with the news coming out of University Park, but last night we gave it a shot. Kevin and I brought in our old friend Pat Vint from BHGP, and he added a little perspective via Iowa's bungled sexual assault case a few years ago. Also, he provided the important role of buffer, to prevent Kevin and me from just screaming agreements at each other.

The real star of the show? Of course, it's Ben Jones, who is now up to approximately 38,582 followers on Twitter. I haven't actually checked the number this morning, but given the upward trend last night, I'm sure it's rather close to the actual total.

For this episode, Jeff and I talk to Jim Weber from LostLettermen.com, who updates us on what many of our former favorite Penn Staters are doing these days. Afterward, Jeff and I discuss the Illinois game, Joe Paterno's future, and the tough road still ahead of our Nittany Lions.

To celebrate the move of our Slow States project to Tumblr and to troll the everloving hell out of Iowa, Patrick from Black Heart Gold Pants rejoins us to break down Penn State vs. Iowa. Along the way, we examine the toxic train wreck at Minnesota, explain why Bret Bielema is really Deebo from "Friday", and giggle like idiots at Nebraska and Ohio State.

True to Slow States form, we give out some beer and new music suggestions at the end. True to clueless and detached new parent form, I select something from an album that came out in April and get justifiably ridiculed.

Music breaks include "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism" by The New Pornographers, "October" by Broken Bells, "Summerteeth" (Wilco cover) by Pezzittino and Allan Cote (album info), "Jardin Du Luxembourg" by The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, and "Codeine" by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Here's a link to the Fruit Bats, as mentioned by Kevin, and here's the link to the Ryan Adams show in Denver that I mentioned. Download away, kids.

Finally, Big Ten conference games have arrived. Kevin and I take a spin around the conference and find that the Corn Division is beyond wide open, the Pig Division is Wisconsin and a bunch of dogs chasing a speeding car.

We also ask the question, "Are we being too harsh on Penn State?" They're 3-1, right? We all thought this would happen, didn't we?

Listen via the applet below, or right-click and download it to keep it with you forever and ever. We're working on iTunes, promise. It's quite the fortress, you know.

We look back at the near(?)-debacle against Temple and try to get to the bottom of Penn State's problems and what, if anything, can be fixed in the short-term. Do the quarterbacks matter? Can a team really get through a season with a three-page offensive playbook? Do Penn State's struggles have any effect on our preseason 8-4 predictions, given the relative awfulness of the Big Ten? And who's really in charge of this dumpster fire, anyway?

Right-click and save for later, or use the applet below.

Sometimes, it's just impossible to come to grips with a loss. So here's one final mutual counseling session between Kevin and myself, which dives so far into the Penn State playcalling structure that we reach a point where it may not actually exist as it's been described to us. We also talk about what we liked out of the Alabama game, praise Matt McGloin effusively, and try to figure out how the parents of Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin ended up sitting next to each other at Beaver Stadium. Oh, right, and we talk Temple.

Finally, the home game you've been anticipating for roughly a decade. Alabama finally comes back to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 1989, universally ranked in the top three nationally, and looking for a sweep of the home-and-home series with Penn State.

To best prepare you for the Crimson Tide, we brought in kleph from Roll Bama Roll to talk about Alabama's turnovers last weekend against Kent State, the best way to attack the Tide's stellar defense, and much more.

Afterward, Kevin and I talk about the Indiana State game and look forward to the main attraction in what is looking to be a soggy Happy Valley. Listen through the applet below or right-click and save on the link for later use.

For our 2011 Penn State preview, it's your humble BSD curators Chris and Kevin breaking down the quarterback situation and the most glaring weaknesses of this year's Nittany Lions. Along the way, I compare Matt McGloin to a backup NHL goaltender who gets hot at the right time, and Kevin makes the MOST BORING PREDICTION EVER, KEVIN.

We also get into which of the Big Four games are the most winnable, and yes, I actually state on multiple occasions that Penn State has a good chance against Alabama. DISCLAIMER: I was drinking.