Last week's match-up with Maryland certainly wasn't pretty, but at the very least it was entertaining. There were seven lead changes in the contest and it seemed that each team at different times throughout the ball game wanted to be the team to blow the game.

However, it was Maryland that handed over a win to the Nittany Lions with a game sealing fifth turnover on a Perry Hill interception. The Penn State defense was able to create turnovers on the day, but the Nittany Lions "D" was surprisingly gashed by the Maryland offense, especially by Terrapins quarterback Perry Hills. Hills rushed for 124 yards and passed for 225 and that came after a week where J.T. Barrett had a ton of success against the Lions defense.So the question is what happened to the Penn State defense? A defense that showed so much dominance earlier in the season has now given up an average of 447 yards of total offense over the last two weeks.In my opinion, dual-threat quarterbacks have been the problem for Penn State. Barrett exposed them two weeks ago and I think the Maryland coaching staff saw that game and planned accordingly. That's something the Nittany Lions need to sure up going forward. If the Terrapins weren't such a bad football team things could have gone much differently in Baltimore last week."The mobile quarterbacks have created some challenges for us, the tempo offenses have created some challenges for us, there's no doubt about it. And we haven't tackled as clean," said Penn State head coach James Franklin. "There are definitely some areas we can improve. We played such good defense around here for the last year and a half we've got to get back to that."A definite positive from last week was the success of the Penn State passing game. I have always been an advocate for putting the ball in Hackenberg's hands and letting him play the role of gun slinger. That's what offensive coordinator John Donovan did against the Terrapins and "Hack" threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns.It wasn't all Hackenberg, as his receivers made some plays, which is another positive thing to take away from last week's game. Maryland was practically begging the Nittany Lions to throw the football and honestly why wouldn't they do that? The Penn State passing game has been less than impressive this season.However, with the extra person the Terps put in the box to try and slow down true freshman standout running back Saquon Barkley that then gave the Nittany Lions a lot of one on one match-ups. That was also the case when the Terps sold out and all out blitzed. Give credit to "Hack" and his receivers because they responded and were big reason for the win last week.Coming into State College at noon today (ESPN) is the Illinois Fighting Illini (4-3, 1-2 BIG 10). The Illini are arguably the best team to come into Beaver Stadium this season.Illinois is led by one of the BIG 10's best quarterbacks in Wes Lunt. Lunt has passed for 1,702 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He's a pro style quarterback that takes care of the football (3 interceptions) and if he has time to throw it he can pick defenses apart.Wide receiver Geronimo Allison will be a major focus of the Penn State defense as he has caught 48 balls for 700 yards and three touchdowns. He's averaging 100 yards per game receiving.Fortunately, for the Penn State defense getting after the quarterback is its specialty. The Nittany Lions lead the nation in sacks; they're second in the nation in sacks per game, and second in the nation in tackles for loss. Remember the more time you drop back to pass the more times you give the defense opportunities to rush the quarterback. Nobody knows that concept better than Penn State fans over the past two seasons.According to Franklin, Illinois boasts one of the best offensive lines in the BIG 10 and is one of the best units at protecting the quarterback. The Penn State defensive line vs. the Illinois offensive line should then make for an interesting match-up come later today. That match-up could very well decide the ball game as well.Offensively, it's important for the Penn State running game to get back on track this week. Maryland's scheme worked well against the run and they did a good job of keeping Saquon Barkley contained as he rushed for just over 60 yards against the Terps.Coach Franklin hinted that Barkley is close to 100 percent this week and that his speed and ability to break tackles is where it was before he was injured in the San Diego State game.With the Penn State wideouts and Hackenberg gaining confidence this week don't be surprised to see more shots down the field against Illinois. The Illinois defense has been pretty solid against the pass (195.4 yards per game), but I believe with Chris Godwin and Saeed Blacknall's ability to get open deep they should have success against the Illini defensive backs. It was also nice to see DaSean Hamilton get back on track last week with a touchdown, so look for him to get the ball where he's most effective, which is in the slot and middle of the field.Las Vegas has Penn State as a 4.5 point favorite. I like the Nittany Lions to cover and win by 10. Look for the Nittany Lions offense to put a full game together in the passing and rushing game. Also, look for the Penn State defense to put pressure on Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt and create some turnovers.My prediction is Penn State 27, Illinois 17.