A 57-yard touchdown throw from Drew Allar to KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter helped Penn State narrowly defeat Indiana 33-24 last week.

It was the throw that PSU faithful were both hoping and waiting for from the heralded five-star sophomore quarterback.

Was that clutch throw by Allar the play that gives both him and the Nittany Lions’ offense the momentum they need to complete more downfield passes this season? That question and a lot more will be answered later this afternoon (FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET) as Penn State takes on a talented Maryland team on the road in College Park.

Allar’s throw was pretty much the lone bright spot on the day against the Hoosiers for the Nittany Lions’ offense. It’s anybody’s guess as to why the offense has struggled so mightily over the past few weeks. Against Ohio State, you can obviously say it has a pretty good defense, but against Indiana, now that is when you start to get worried.

That game, to me, was almost like when you’re playing a bad round of golf, but on the last hole you hit a great shot to hole out from 75 yards, so you forget about all the other bad shots from the previous holes.

The Penn State offense needs to find itself again and it has to be this week against Maryland.

First and foremost, the Nittany Lions need to be able to run the football consistently and effectively. The rushing attack is down from over 200 yards rushing per game just a few weeks ago to 175 rushing yards per game, and their yards per carry haven’t been good. Kaytron Allen leads PSU with 482 rushing yards and three touchdowns at 4.6 yards per carry. Nicholas Singleton is second on the team in rushing with 460 rushing yards and seven touchdowns at 4.1 yards per carry.

Simply put, with talented backs like Allen and Singleton and a veteran offensive line, the rushing attack needs to be better. It won’t be easy this week either against a Maryland defense that is giving up just 109.3 rushing yards per game. But in order for Penn State to have any chance of staying in the race for a College Football Playoff berth, the run game is going to need to get better, because the Nittany Lions are going to have to depend on their run game to move the football.

Now, let’s get to today’s match-up where No. 11 Penn State (7-1) is heading into College Park to face a dangerous Maryland team in what is a must-win situation for the Nittany Lions. The Terrapins are coming off three straight losses to Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern. Some may see that as an advantage for Penn State, but I think it makes Maryland even more dangerous. The Terps are going to be playing free and loose, and most likely with a nothing-to-lose attitude, which can be a dangerous combination.

The first step for Penn State to get a “W” is to slow down Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (2,200 yards, 19 TDs/6 INTs), who leads the conference in passing. Tagovailoa has been one of the best throwers of the football in the Big Ten over the past few seasons and leads an offense that ranks third in the conference in scoring (32.6 point per game), third in total offense (418.4 ypg), second in passing offense (280.5 ypg) and eighth in rushing offense (137.9 ypg). Maryland has not run the football great this season, so if the PSU defense can get pressure on Tagovailoa, he has been known in the past to turn the ball over in those situations. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked second in the country with four sacks per game.

Las Vegas has Penn State as an 8.5-point favorite on the road.

As I mentioned, slowing down Tagovailoa is going to be vital, but the Nittany Lions must be better on offense this week. If Penn State plays as inconsistent as it did last week on offense, I doubt that it will come out of College Park with a win. Yes, Maryland has lost three straight, but the Terrapins are still a talented team that desperately needs a win themselves.

The Terps have shown some vulnerability with their pass defense this season. They give up just over 230 yards passing per game, which ranks 72nd in the country. Penn State’s offensive line will be tested this week against the Terrapins pass rush, which ranks 12th in the country with 3.3 sacks per game.

This is a game where Penn State simply needs to put together a complete performance on offense, defense and special teams. The Nittany Lions need to be able to run the football, mix in the passing game, hit a few deep shots and on defense they need to force a few turnovers. Penn State’s back is against the wall and its head coach has been facing some harsh criticisms after the loss to Ohio State - and the near loss to Indiana last week.

Will the Nittany Lions show up? I believe they will, but it will be tight against a good Maryland team.

My pick is Penn State 30, Maryland 21.