Derrell Johnson-Koulianos out of the doghouse?

Two weeks ago, when his name came up, “doghouse” and “banana peel” were attached.

It was never anything sinister. Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz just tried to shed some light on the adventures of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Hawkeyes wide receiver and Facebook friend to nearly 5,000 Iowa fans.

“He might slip on a banana peel every now and then,” Ferentz said, explaining, sort of, why Johnson-Koulianos was held out the first half of Arkansas State. “He has worked hard. He had a good spring and a good camp.”

In the same thought ...

“Talking about the Web sites and the fan perceptions, it sounds as though everyone has this thing about a doghouse,” Ferentz said. “I remember Earl Weaver (former Baltimore Orioles manager) and reading something about him saying he didn't have doghouses for players.

“A guy might get on my list for a while, but I'm not big on that stuff. I'm all for helping guys improve. That's the business we're supposed to be in, teaching kids how to improve and do things. I think he's going to have a good season and we really feel good about him.”

Here's what we know: Johnson-Koulianos strained a hamstring during camp. He was a gametime decision against Iowa State and caught three for 39 yards and a touchdown. He sat out Arizona with the hamstring and returned for Penn State with three catches for 50 yards.

He slipped on a few “banana peels” and sat out the first half against Arkansas State, then caught the one pass thrown to him for 27 yards.

Columns were written. Internet bandwidth was filled. There was a call for DJK to “get with the program.” This brings us to last week and third-and-24 from Iowa's 45.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi dropped back and heaved a bomb toward Johnson-Koulianos. He split Michigan's secondary and used his body to beat cornerback Donovan Warren with a diving, leaning grab for a 47-yard gain to Michigan's 8.

Three plays later, Iowa took a 20-14 lead it didn't relinquish.

Johnson-Koulianos was asked if he had any extra motivation.

“No, where are you getting that?” he said with a smile. “I'm just trying to get with the program around here, that's all. That's all.”

Consider the program gotten. He finished with three catches for 63 yards. In 4 1/2 games, he has 11 catches for 201 yards, an 18.3 yards a catch that's second only to sophomore Marvin McNutt.

Johnson-Koulianos, who led Iowa in receiving the last two years, appears to be all systems go.

“He's healthy now. He's playing. He's doing everything he's supposed to do,” Iowa receivers coach Erik Campbell said. “We're rolling all the guys in and out. We're all contributing right now. That's what it's all about. We're all playing together as a team, not one man. It's all about team and everybody's contributing.”

Johnson-Koulianos was asked if he's being used enough. It was asked innocently, but this could have been a giant banana peel back into the doghouse or Ferentz's list or wherever.

But, no, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior said what anyone would want to hear.

“Yeah, I think so. I don't have any issues,” he said. “Of course, I'd like to play more, but with performance and production, I think my time on the field will increase.”

He sidestepped that banana peel.