Iowa receivers: For DJK, for now, the topic is football

IOWA CITY -- Forget the Twitter. Forget the ongoing media relations battle with the head coach. Forget the whole cyber-persona of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.

He's a good football player. You remember football, right? Or, as he puts it, "The reason we're all here." With the Twitter and the Facebook and coach Kirk Ferentz's approval of it all, football is often a lost topic with DJK.

And, yes, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, the football player, wants the ball. Not only does DJK want the ball, he openly speaks of wanting the ball.

Really, what's wrong with that? Especially if you've backed it up the last three years as Johnson-Koulianos has.

He has 127 receptions for 1,871 yards and seven TDs, needing 31 receptions to pass Kevin Kasper as receptions leader and 401 yards to pass Tim Dwight's yardage record of 2,271. He's led the Hawkeyes in receiving for the last three seasons, just the third player in Iowa history to do that.

He also finished second in the Big Ten in kick returns, fueled by a 99-yard return at Ohio State, snapping Iowa's drought of 242 consecutive kickoffs without a TD return.

Going into 2010, he's on the Biletnikoff (wide receiver) and Hornung (most versatile player) watch lists.

He wants to be quarterback Ricky Stanzi's top target this season. Down and distance or no time on the clock at the goal line, DJK wants the ball.

"Pressure situations always drive me. And sometimes, I'll fail, but I want that pressure," Johnson-Koulianos said. "I want that target this year on my back. I want those expectations. That's why you play this game. I want to do something special.

"Nobody wants to be a 6-6 ballclub and go to the Alamo Bowl. I know I don't. If you can't handle that pressure or handle that target, you can always give it to me. I'll willingly accept it."

Not only will he accept it, he'll fight for it.

You know where we're going on this. Yes, the last timeout at Michigan State.

It didn't look pretty on the Big Ten Network.

Offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe asked for input. Wide receiver Marvin McNutt offered up that his corner lined up on his outside shoulder and that he could beat him on a slant. O'Keefe made the call and the rest ran about 100 times this summer on the Big Ten Network.

Stanzi hit McNutt on a 7-yard slant and delivered victory on the last play of the game.

Little more to the story.

"I think he (O'Keefe) was like, well . . . and then DJ was like awwwwwwwggggg," McNutt said. "He kind of gave that look,

 OK, fine, whatever. It was definitely a really serious huddle. But in the end, we didn't even talk about it because we won. We were all in that winning atmosphere. We were just excited to get out of that one alive."

On the edges of the huddle, Johnson-Koulianos howled. Of course, he wanted the ball.

"Talk about a moment and having an opportunity," DJK said. "I don't think there's ever been a time where I wanted the ball more. I was actually pissed off. But Marvin got it done. I was happy for him. I was glad we won the game. That moment was you could be remembered forever."

You can think selfish, but don't. Iowa wide receivers coach Erik Campbell certainly doesn't.

"That's a great thing," said Campbell, who's in his third year at Iowa. "You want every receiver out there to want the ball. You want them to have that kind of confidence that you can make a play at any time.

"That's the kind of attitude he has, that he can make a play anytime. I have no problem with him wanting the ball, it just so happened it didn't work out that way."

It was a pressure situation. Johnson-Koulianos repeatedly referred to the Michigan State finish as an "opportunity." This is what a coach wants, right? A finisher who wants to finish.

"Moments like those, for a guy who's hungry, who loves the game, who strives for opportunity, I eat that up," DJK said. "It went to Marvin, the playcall went to him. The coaches knew what they were doing, clearly, and it all worked out."

This begs the question, were you open?

"Wide open," he said with a laugh. "It would've been way spectacular, believe me."

The laugh. There's the dash of humility, something that might not have been there when Johnson-Koulianos came to Iowa from Youngstown, Ohio, and the storied Cardinal Mooney High School program.

You've read about it this summer. The silenced Twitter account. Ferentz's reluctance to allow Johnson-Koulianos to speak to the media on a regular basis (it is and always will be touch-and-go). DJK has gotten the message, which was topics one, two and three during media day.

It might've taken some time, but Ferentz and the influence of the Iowa staff is coming through. The bravado is there, certainly, but so is a dose of maturity.

"The sky can be the limit for Derrell," Campbell said. "It depends on how he plays this season and what he does everyday in practice. He can be one of the best in the Big Ten right now."

So, Johnson-Koulianos wants the ball, and, yes, oh yes, he wants the records. Make no mistake. He was asked if they really mattered and if they'll just take care of themselves.

"No they matter, really," he said.

Then, he quickly added the humility and the small-picture thinking that could lead to the 31 receptions, 401 yards and record books.

"Here's my thing, I've never really been a full-time starter," said DJK, which is true. He's listed as a co-starter on Iowa's latest and only depth chart so far for 2010. "So, I figure if I can obtain and maintain a starting position, I think those [the records] will take care of themselves.

"My focus right now is to be the best receiver on the team, have Ricky count on me and continue to make plays. If that comes together, those fine achievements will take care of themselves."

Forget the Facebook. This is a finisher who wants to finish.

___________

Depth charting

SE -- Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, sr., 6-1, 200 OR Colin Sandeman, sr., 6-1, 200

WR -- Marvin McNutt, jr., 6-4, 215; Keenan Davis, so., 6-3, 215

TE -- Allen Reisner, sr., 6-3, 248; Brad Herman, jr., 6-5, 247

In the huddle

During Iowa's open scrimmage Aug. 14, coach Kirk Ferentzheaped a ton of praise on the wide receiver group. This hasn't been a common occurrence during Ferentz's 12 seasons, so that has to be good, right? . . . Sophomore WR Keenan Daviscould be the real wildcard here. The Cedar Rapids Washington grad might be ready to take off. He's put on 15 pounds of muscle and has gained knowledge and maturity after dipping in toe-deep as a true freshman last year. "A lot thrown at him, now he knows what to expect," wide receivers coach Erik Campbell said. "He knows about school, knows about football. He knows the little details." . . . As a sophomore last season, junior WR Marvin McNuttaveraged 19.8 yards on 34 catches and scored eight TDs. He admits his speed isn't off-the-charts, so how'd he do that? "He's fast enough," Campbell said. "I don't know what it is, but he's fast enough to get the job done. We don't worry about the 40 time. On the football field, no one is timing your 40."

Numbers game

TE Allen Reisneris the undisputed No. 1 for the Hawkeyes this season. Since jumping in as a true freshman in 2007, the Marion native has 27 catches for 374 yards and two TDs. He's poised for the 30 to 40 catches the No. 1 TE gets in Ferentz and Ken O'Keefe'sTE-centric offense. After Reisner, it drops off. Junior Brad Hermanis the No. 2. He has one career reception. After Herman, there is no other TE on the roster with a career catch. There are, however, five other TEs on the roster, including four more on scholarship. True freshman Austin Vier is a TE after coming to camp at QB. Redshirt freshman Dakota Getz has moved to OLB. It's not clear if true freshmanC.J. Fiedorowiczwill shed the redshirt and play this year. During the scrimmage, the 6-7, 250-pounder caught two passes for 12 yards.

The loquacious wideout talks about the "Iowa Way."

But the money quote here is DJK's take on the huddle before the final play at Michigan State. Yes, he wanted the ball and, yes, there were some bleeps at that moment.

"I don't think there was a time I wanted the ball more. I was (bleeped) off."

Also, DJK has a chance to set records, receiving yards and receptions. He didn't soft pedal it. The dude wants the records. He wants the ball and wants the records.

The sophomore talks about what's ahead for him this season.

He has no set idea on numbers, he just wants to "work his butt off."

He also talked about coming up under a pretty veteran group of receivers.

Also, he believes the shot that Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has at Iowa's receptions and receiving yardage records is a very big deal.

Here it is with Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak and with the BTN call.

Hearing Dolph and Ed, football anyone?