STATE COLLEGE - When Zack Mills was asked whether Penn State's 6-4 loss to Iowa was its lowest point, it didn't take him long to answer.

"Yeah, especially from my standpoint," the senior quarterback said. "I'm really disappointed in myself, really. I came out today and didn't get into a rhythm. I couldn't get anything going. I couldn't make any plays. I made mistakes."

But it wasn't all Mills. Despite a stalwart defensive performance, Penn State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) lost its fourth consecutive game because of an offense that just can't seem to do anything right.

Things were supposed to be improving. Through much of the early season, coach Joe Paterno defended Mills, even when Mills threw four interceptions against Boston College and fumbled four times against Central Florida. It was the receivers who weren't catching the ball, or the line that wasn't blocking.

Penn State did look better two weeks ago against Purdue. The Nittany Lions lost that game 20-13, but Mills completed 29 of 51 passes and receivers were making highlight-reel catches.

Penn State, coming off a bye week, had two weeks to prepare for Iowa. Michael Robinson, the do-it-all receiver-tailback-quarterback, was back in the lineup after missing two games with a concussion.

So how did Penn State do? Just 96 yards passing, and 51 yards rushing. Mills threw two interceptions and fumbled twice (both were recovered by Penn State) before he was pulled.

In went Robinson, whom Paterno has repeatedly described as one of the best football players in the country. (Last week, when asked why Paterno had such high praise for Robinson, he replied: "I have coached great football players for 55 years. If I tell you that Michael Robinson is one of the best football players I have ever coached and one of the best in the country, don't question me.")

How did Robinson do? He turned the ball over on three consecutive plays, throwing an interception in the red zone, then throwing another interception on Penn State's next play from scrimmage, then fumbling the ball away on Penn State's final possession.

"I don't know whether we could play much poorer than we did today," Paterno said. "I mean, I think Iowa's a pretty good defensive football team, but we just didn't play very well at all, offensively."

Even the defense, which gave up just one field goal (the other was set up by a Mills interception) failed when it was most critical.

When Jovon Johnson intercepted the second Robinson pass, 7:45 remained in the game, and Iowa - with the ball on its own 40-yard line - had yet to make a first down in the second half. A defensive stop would have given Penn State the ball back, down by just 2 points with plenty of time to score.

Twice, the Hawkeyes found themselves with third-and-long; twice, they managed to move the sticks and keep the clock rolling.

The Nittany Lions had one more chance after Robinson's fumble, forcing Iowa into a third-and-3. But an offsides penalty gave the Hawkeyes a first down and a chance to run out the clock.

All of which leaves Penn State in uncomfortably familiar territory - just one loss away from the fourth losing season in the past five years.

"It just sucks being 2-5 because we're really a better team than that," defensive tackle Scott Paxson said. "But every week you pick up the paper and you see, 'We're a better team than that,' but what else can you say?"