Squandered opportunities were the name of the game last week for Penn State.

The 38-10 score and loss to Ohio State was not indicative of the game itself. Penn State had many opportunities to bring the game within reach, but two main things held them back from doing just that.No. 1 was the complete and utter disaster that is the Penn State's passing attack. Ohio State is way too talented of a football team to be one dimensional offensively and that's exactly what the Nittany Lions were.Christian Hackenberg was just 7-of-13 for 120 yards and a touchdown. Hackenberg was once again under constant pressure and it showed and offensive coordinator John Dononvan once again didn't take many shots down the field.The fact that Penn State didn't utilize the play action passing game against the Buckeyes was baffling to me last week. When you have a running back that is absolutely gashing the opposing defense as Saquon Barkley did (194 yards rushing) then the play action passing game becomes your best ally. That's especially the case when you have a quarterback with a big arm and two or three receivers that are more than capable to get open on go patterns.Unfortunately, it looks like the beating that Hackenberg took last year paired with the hits he's taken this year are seriously affecting his play. All quarterbacks receive some sort of pressure during the course of a game and when "Hack" has had pressure he hasn't been great. He certainly needs to get better at moving around in the pocket, feeling the pressure, and delivering the football more accurately. Those are all things he's shown he can do in the past.The second reason for Penn State's struggles from a week ago was Ohio State's J.T. Barrett. I believe Barrett showed Urban Meyer last week that he should indeed be the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes.Once Barrett came in for starting quarterback Cardale Jones, it was game over for the Nittany Lions defense. Ohio State's zone read scheme was just too much for Penn State to handle as they gave up 315 yards rushing at over six yards per carry. Barrett averaged 9.3 yards per carry and also scored two touchdowns. He was the difference in the ball game and his ability to make people miss hurt the Nittany Lions.But, enough of living in the past. On the docket this week is BIG 10 East Division opponent Maryland (3:30 p.m. ET ESPN). The Terrapins (2-4, 02 BIG 10) have struggled this season and have also fired head coach Randy Edsall almost two weeks ago because of those very struggles.The Nittany Lions (5-2, 2-1 BIG 10) match-up with Maryland is a chance for them to get back on track. As we talked about earlier a place where Penn State needs to get better is in the passing game and they will have that opportunity this week.The Terrapins are giving up more than 450 yards per game of total offense and just over 260 yards per game through the air. The Penn State pass offense has yet to put together four quarters of solid, consistent, and game-breaking football. I think this could be the week.I think it's very important for someone besides Chris Godwin (493 yards receiving) to make plays at the wide receiver position this week. With that being said, I think that tight end Mike Gesicki will have a breakout game against the Terps. Gesicki has been able to get open pretty frequently this season, but hasn't been able catch the ball at times. He's a big, athletic, and fast tight end that provides match-up problems for most linebackers, so look for him to make some plays this week.Expect a heavy dose of Saquon Barkley again this week as the Terps are surrendering just over 175 yards per game on the ground. Barkley rushed for 194 yards against the vaunted Ohio State defensive front last week, so making plays this week should come easier to the standout true freshman.Defensively, Penn State will be keying on Maryland quarterback Perry Hills. Hills strength is running the football and he's averaged over eight yards per carry since he's taking over the starting quarterback gig. Since the strength of the PSU defense has been its defensive front I can't see Hill getting those types of numbers. Carl Nassib (11.5 sacks) and company will be looking to get after the quarterback, so odds are if Hills is going to have any success it's going to have to be through the air. That prospect doesn't look to promising either as he has five touchdowns and four interceptions.The Terrapins certainly don't light up the stat sheet offensively as a whole either, averaging just around 341 yards of total offense per game.This game will once again come down to how well the offensive line can protect Christian Hackenberg. Maryland isn't great defensively, but they do have some individual playmakers that could make things interesting like most Division 1 football programs. If the offensive line stumbles and Hackenberg is under constant pressure things could go wrong very fast for the Nittany Lions, especially on the road.Maryland has a minus-13 turnover margin on the season, which is a big reason why it's 2-4 on the year. Penn State on the other hand has a plus-seven turnover margin. The Penn State defense has just been too dominant in getting after the quarterback and as noted I like the Nittany Lions passing game to get going this week.Las Vegas has pegged Penn State as a 6.5 point favorite over the Terps. My prediction is Penn State 33, Maryland 16.