It has been a roller coaster ride for Penn State football fans this season. The Nittany Lions, coming into the season with College Football Playoff aspirations, suffered two tough losses to Ohio State and Michigan State for the second consecutive season and also added a blowout loss to Michigan on the road.

A struggling pass offense throughout the season, fourth quarter meltdowns, inconsistent offensive line play against top tier opponents, and a young defense have attributed to much of Penn State’s struggles. But still, there is hope on the horizon and something to play for.

The Nittany Lions (8-3, 5-3) are presently ranked at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, making them eligible for a third straight New Year’s Six Bowl. With a win against Maryland later today, the Nittany Lions will also have a chance to win 10 games for the third consecutive season. Winning double-digit games consistently shows recruits that you’ll always be in the mix, which is obviously important for Penn State as they continue to knock on the door of the College Football Playoff.

Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin is always talking about the importance of his team improving week-to-week. One unit for Penn State that has certainly looked good over the last two weeks has been the defense, as they’ve allowed just 8.5 points per game during that span.

The question mark coming into the season was the middle of the defense, with depth concerns at defensive tackle and linebacker. Heralded five-star freshman Micah Parsons has started to come into his own at outside linebacker. Paired with middle linebacker Jan Johnson and other outside linebackers Cam Brown and Koa Farmer, the Nittany Lions linebackers have now become a strength. In the middle up front, freshman PJ Mustipher has been playing better and now serves as a viable back-up, and veteran Robert Windsor, starting for the first time this season, has been as disruptive as any defensive tackle in the Big Ten over the last two games. He added two tackles for loss against Rutgers last week, which is the third time he’s done that this season.

With the middle coming together, it’s easy to see why Penn State has also been so efficient in getting to the quarterback. Defensive ends Yetur Gross-Matos and Shareef Miller have been dominant and have helped the Nittany Lions defense lead the Big Ten in sacks per game (3.45) and tackles for loss per game (7.7). Miller has seven sacks on the season, while Gross-Matos has eight sacks and an impressive 16.5 tackles for loss.

Defense will be the key this week on senior day at Beaver Stadium against the Terrapins (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) as they’re coming off a near upset win and 51-point performance against Ohio State.

Stopping the run will be the focus against Maryland, as it averages 244 rushing yards per game and rushed for an incredible 339 yards at over seven yards per carry against the Buckeyes last week. The man to stop will be running back Anthony McFarland, who rushed for 298 yards last week and has also rushed for 1,002 yards at 8.2 yards per carry.

Maryland’s ability to run the football will be a true test to see how far the middle of Penn State’s defense has really come.

“Obviously Anthony McFarland the last two games has rushed for over 200 yards and last week over 300 yards. We know Anthony really well,” said Franklin. “He’s a Dematha [Catholic High School] kid. He’s got over 1,000 yards, 8.4 yards per carry, and he can run. I mean, he can flat-out run. I mean, you watch him on tape, he is fast, and makes a bunch of big plays for them.”

I believe Maryland will have some success on the ground, because that’s what it excels at and it’s had success doing it against good football teams. Penn State has been average at stopping the run, giving up 177 rushing yards per game, but it’s how the Nittany Lions perform inside the red zone that will be the key. Penn State is one of the best defenses in the nation inside the 20, leading the Big Ten (73.3 percent). The Nittany Lions “D” tightens up in the red zone and the Terps just won’t be able to depend on the run, they will have the pass the ball, which is something they don’t do well. Maryland averages just 137 passing yards per game and the Penn State defense has held three of its opponents under 100 yards passing this season.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a 13-point favorite.

This will be quarterback Trace McSorley’s last home game as a Nittany Lion. If you’ve read this column over the past few years you know it’s been hard for me to pick against Penn State when he’s been at the helm of the offense. This week is no different. I can’t see McSorley going out any other way than with a victory in his last performance at Beaver Stadium.

This is no doubt a dangerous game for Penn State. Maryland has big play ability in the run game and it needs this win to become bowl eligible. The Terrapins are also one of the best in the Big Ten at turning people over at plus-eight and they also have 18 interceptions on the year. So, things could go wrong quickly if Penn State doesn’t take care of the ball and Maryland reels off a few big plays in the running game.

But like I said, how can I go against McSorley in his last home game?

My pick is Penn State 31, Maryland 21.