Iowa City, Iowa - MSU's performance against Iowa on Saturday was so bad that head coach John L. Smith was left questioning the Spartans' talent and his expectations for them.

Both MSU's offense and defense failed to make routine plays and, in the end, those failures added up to a 38-16 blowout loss to the Hawkeyes before a sold-out, homecoming crowd at Kinnick Stadium.

"Gosh, there has to be a reason," Smith said. "Either we can't do it physically, we can't do it mentally or maybe we just can't do it."

Dropped passes and poor execution inside the 20-yard line doomed MSU (2-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) on offense. Missed tackles and weak coverage in the secondary on defense allowed Iowa (3-2, 1-1) to impose its will.

Quarterback Drew Tate led the charge for Iowa, which never trailed after taking a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Tate achieved career highs in passing yards (340), completions (25) and attempts (36).

The Hawkeyes' passing-game prowess surprised MSU, which expected Iowa to favor the run on offense, senior linebacker Ronald Stanley said.

"They didn't look that good on film, so we came out and thought that they were going to lay down," Stanley said. "I don't think we came to play today."

MSU's blunders were early and often.

Missed tackles near the line of scrimmage allowed Iowa running back Jermelle Lewis to run 47 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

With about 30 seconds left in the first half, Smith decided to squib the kickoff and run time off the clock after senior place-kicker Dave Rayner cut Iowa's lead to 14-6 with a 23-yard field goal. The decision backfired when Iowa's Champ Davis scooped up the ball and returned it 32 yards, setting up an Iowa field goal with two seconds left in the half.

The field goal gave Iowa a 17-6 halftime lead and erased the momentum MSU was gaining in the second quarter.

Senior tight end Jason Randall dropped an almost-sure touchdown pass in the third quarter. A touchdown would have narrowed Iowa's lead to 24-13; but instead, Rayner missed the ensuing 53-yard field goal and the Hawkeyes eventually extended their lead to 31-6.

Randall's drop was one of four touchdown opportunities MSU missed against Iowa. The wasted chances highlighted the Spartans' need for playmakers, Smith said.

"I think we have to take a look at what we're doing from a coaching standpoint; that's the first thing you want to do, is look in the mirror," Smith said. "Are we asking guys to make plays that can't make plays?

"We're asking the kids to maybe perform some tasks that they can't."

Smith's bleak assessment revealed a coach, now five games into the season, facing many questions and few answers.

One question that had been dogging Smith, however, seems to be answered. For the first time all season, MSU played the same quarterback for two full games in a row.

Sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton, in his second career start, improved on his breakout performance last week against Indiana, despite MSU's offensive shortcomings. He finished 29-of-54 passing for 245 yards and rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. He was MSU's leading rusher.

"We showed that we can pass," Stanton said.

Stanton's ability to pass was in question following MSU's win against Indiana, when he ran freely but passed cautiously. Stanton's 54 passing attempts were one short of the MSU single-game record Jeff Smoker set last season at Ohio State. His 29 completions tied for eighth most in a game in MSU history.

Stanton showed improved command of his offense when he drove the Spartans inside the 10-yard line twice in the second quarter. But both times, the offense delivered only a field goal. Rayner made three of four field goals on the day. He has made six of seven in MSU's last two games.

Stanton and the Spartans finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach. Stanton's 1-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive with about four minutes left in the game.

"It's hard to come in here and expect to win a ball game," Stanton said. "We did the best we could; we couldn't do it."

In 15 years as a head coach, Smith's only losing season came in 1995, when he led Utah State to a 4-7 record in his first season there.

The team still has enough games left to get focused and play to its potential, senior safety Jason Harmon said.

"We have to turn into a new team," he said. "I'm at least trying to get to a bowl game. I don't want my season to end early."

After two straight road games, MSU returns home to play Illinois (2-3, 0-2) at noon Saturday at Spartan Stadium.