Quicksand.

The more you exert yourself to get out, the deeper you sink.

Penn State could certainly be classified as being in quicksand at the moment. After a 5-0 start, the Nittany Lions have dropped three straight and were not included in the initial round of the College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings.

Penn State’s match-up this later today on the road against Maryland (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1) has become a must-win if not only to salvage this season with both Michigan and Michigan State left on the schedule, but to also keep intact its elite recruiting class - which features both the top quarterback and running back in the country, according to most recruiting services.

Although, the Nittany Lions were not able to come away with a win last week, there were a few positives to take away from their performance.

The first being the health of Sean Clifford, who threw for an impressive 361 yards. Clifford looked good and moved well, so I would expect him to be back to 100 percent this week against the Terrapins. Maryland is giving up 241.5 passing yards through the air, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten, so I would expect Clifford to once again have a nice day.

Clifford’s top two targets in Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington will be tough for the Terrapins defense to tame as the duo continued their dynamic seasons against Ohio State. Dotson had a career-high 11 catches for 127 yards and added a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Washington contributed a career-high tying nine receptions for 108 yards. They also both went over 100 receiving yards against Villanova (Dotson 117, Washington 148). They are the first Penn State wide receiver tandem with multiple 100-yard games in a season since 2014 (DaeSean Hamilton and Geno Lewis).

The Maryland defense has been its vulnerability this season as it ranks 84th in the country in total defense and 96th in the country in scoring defense. Maybe this is the game where the Nittany Lions could get their run game going a bit as well as the Terrapins rank 79th in rushing defense.

In my opinion, this game comes down to getting pressure on Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who likes to throw the football all over the field. Tagovailoa has the capability to come up with big time performances, but he’s also known to turn the ball over at times with eight interceptions.

The strength of Penn State’s defense has been the secondary play this season as the Nittany Lions rank eighth in the country in opponent pass efficiency rating (103.56). Penn State is allowing 193.9 passing yards per contest - good for 25th in the country. The Lions rank sixth in the country, allowing 5.64 yards per pass attempt, and seventh, allowing 9.94 yards per completion. Their nine interceptions are good for 22nd in the nation.

Against Iowa and Ohio State - two defenses he has played against that are of the caliber of Penn State’s defense - Tagovailoa has thrown for four touchdowns and seven interceptions. If the Nittany Lions are able to generate some pressure, there will be opportunities to create turnovers. Maryland has not done a good job at protecting the football this season as it enters into this match-up with a (-7) turnover differential.

Penn State and Maryland will be meeting for the 45th time. The Nittany Lions have won nine of the last 11 contests. Last year, Penn State fell 35-19 in Beaver Stadium. Sean Clifford threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns and Jahan Dotson made nine grabs for 123 yards and a score in that game.

This contest comes down to the signal callers in my opinion. I think Clifford will be able move the football consistently and I think the Penn State defense will force Tagovailoa into some bad decisions. However, if the Nittany Lions allow Tagovailoa to get going early and he has a clean pocket throughout the game, Penn State faithful will not be happy with the end result.

My pick is Penn State 41, Maryland 24.