Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt goes fade route over the top of Georgia Tech corner Jerrard Tarrant in the first quarter of Iowa's 24-14 Orange Bowl victory. (Sun-Sentinel)

It didn’t look good for the knee. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos’ hip went pop, too, during a near catch along the sideline in the first quarter of Iowa’s Orange Bowl victory.

“It was scary, but after a few minutes, it was OK,” DJK said. “I went on the field for another play, Ricky threw me a ball and I could not go get it. I couldn’t dig out at all. I knew something was wrong. Took a shot, thought the pain would go away. It got cold and then both areas (hip and knee) got extremely sore. It was hard for me to even walk.”

Johnson-Koulianos said after the game his hip and knee were strained and needed further examination. So far, so good. According to sources, Johnson-Koulianos is OK and should be ready for spring practice.

You know junior Marvin McNutt is going to be ready for spring. His first full season as a wide receiver was a revealation for Iowa’s offense.

They should give Iowa its most formidable duo at wide receiver in coach Kirk Ferentz’s 12 seasons.

Johnson-Koulianos is closing in on some major Iowa milestones.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (left) and Marvin McNutt joke before a practice last spring. They should provide Iowa with a sturdy one-two punch at wideout next fall. (Gazette file)

After leading Iowa in receiver for the third consecutive season, Johnson-Koulianos now has 127 receptions for 1,871 yards and seven TDs in his career. He finished ’09 with career highs in receptions (45) and yards (750). That’s the most yards for an Iowa wideout since Clinton Solomon had 800 in 2005.

DJK needs 31 receptions to pass Kevin Kasper as Iowa’s all-time receptions leader. Kasper had 157 from 1997-2000.

He needs 401 yards to pass Tim Dwight’s career yardage record of 2,271, set between 1994-97.

“I haven’t thought about those, but I’ve been made aware of them, a lot lately,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “Of course, that’s something I’m striving for now. That’s a huge honor. That shows a lot. I’ve been able to persevere through my years here, with maybe not starting and injuries. Just sticking around the program and being a contributor, being accountable to my coaches, being accountable to Ricky. It just so happens, I’m close to the guys who happen to be responsible for those records, so we’ll see.”

Speaking of records, it’s not crazy to think McNutt might not be able to threaten the career receiving TD record of 21, held by Dwight and Danan Hughes (1989-92).

McNutt’s 4-yard TD reception in the first quarter of the Orange Bowl gave him eight TD grabs in 2009, fourth in Iowa history for a season.

Backup QB James Vandenberg called it perfectly after the Ohio State game. McNutt has quick enough feet and is big enough (6-4, 215) to beat you on a slant pass. With his 6-4, vertical leap and giant hands, McNutt can also beat you on the fade route, which worked for the Orange Bowl TD.

QB Ricky Stanzi put the ball right where it needed to be, and McNutt snatched it out of the air above Tech’s Jerrard Tarrant.

“We were preparing all month for it, but it seemed like Rick and I were never on the same page with it,” said McNutt, who finished the season with 34 catches for 674 yards, eight TDs and a team high 19.8 yards a catch. That’s the highest for an Iowa wide receiver with more than 30 catches since Andy Brodell had 18.56 in 2006.

The Orange Bowl was the first time DJK and McNutt started together. They combined for eight catches for 84 yards and a TD.

“All year long, we started off strong but then we were never on the same page,” McNutt said. “Today, we really came out and were hitting on all cylinders.”

DJK and McNutt are a good place for Stanzi to start next season.

“Obviously, Marvin has emerged this year,” DJK said. “We have fun with it. It’s fun to have a guy who’s striving to be great, just as I am, and someone who enjoys it and has fun with it, and someone who has an awesome relationship with Ricky.

“We’re going to have a plethora of running backs. That’s going to be exciting to see that competition unfold. I’ll be going into my final year. Marvin will be continuing to flourish. Ricky will be going into his final year. He’ll want to do big things and have expectations.

“From an offensive standpoint, I think next year is going to be a huge year.”

Obviously, a team can’t live on two receivers.

Here’s the rest of the cast (including tight end):

Colin Sandeman (sr.) — Sandeman is the team’s best punt returner. He’s one of the Big Ten’s best punt returners, finishing second in the league with 9.0 yards on 12 returns. As a receiver, he saved an up-and-down ’09 with a fabulous Orange Bowl, grabbing four passes for 53 yards and a 21-yard TD. He finished the season with 14 catches, but might’ve had 20 catches if not for a concussion at Michigan State. He can have a role, but needs to eliminate untimely drops. And there still is a big role out there. Trey Stross was Iowa’s No. 3 receiver last season. He caught 31 passes. That’s a pretty nice role.

Keenan Davis (so.) — As a true freshman, he caught four passes for 55 yards and a TD. He caught two passes against Iowa State and two against Arkansas State and that was it. He didn’t catch a pass and only had a handful go his way the rest of the season. He had a chance to return one punt and that ended in a fumble. Fans probably expected more. Davis was a well-hyped recruit from Cedar Rapids Washington. He’s 6-3, 200 and very athletic. But it’s hard to put any expectation on a true frosh receiver. This season, he got close to the fire. He’ll produce more in 2010.

Paul Chaney Jr. (sr.) — After a year in limbo, Chaney became a targeted receiver, catching seven passes for 50 yards. He also returned eight punts. Then, against Michigan, he tore an ACL and missed the rest of the season. He wasn’t doing sprints during Orange Bowl workouts. It’s not known if he’ll be ready to resume track (he’s an all-Big Ten sprinter) this winter/spring. What kind of role could he return to? Hard to say. Definitely made strides in ’09 before the injury. Became a trusted player.

Jordan Cotton (fr.) — The 6-1, 170-pounder out of Mount Pleasant redshirted this season. After DJK, McNutt, Sandeman, Davis and Chaney, it’s going to be hard to find a rung on the ladder. Cotton was primarily a running back at Mount Pleasant. It’ll be interesting to see how refined his skills are at WR this spring.

Don Nordmann (sr.) — He’s a senior walk-on, but he saw some time in the rotation late in the year and made a couple tackles on kick coverage. Caught just one pass for 35 yards, but he’s 6-4, 211. He has an outside chance to carve himself some PT.

Kevonte Martin-Manley (fr.) — As of Jan. 18, Martin-Manley is the only receiver in Iowa’s 2010 recruiting class. The 6-0, 198-pounder picked the Hawkeyes over Bowling Green in late December. The Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice standout had 43 catches for 745 yards and 10 TDs. Martin-Manley also had 12 punt returns for 199 yards, and 14 kickoff returns for 314 yards.

John Chelf (fr.) — Iowa City High walk-on, Chelf caught 44 passes for 1,054 yards and 15 TDs last year.

Joe Audlehelm (sr.) — He’s 5-8, 175 from Van Wert, Iowa. He wore Nile Kinnick’s No. 24 during bowl prep. That’s all I know.

Ben Evans (sr.) – A walk-on from City High. Could factor somewhere. Didn’t have a catch last season.

Nick Kuchel (sr.) — You’ve heard this name on special teams and I suspect you will again next season.

JoJo Pregont (fr.) — He’s 6-6, 210. Iowa beat out Wisconsin for him as a recruited walk-on. I think he’s in the plans somewhere. Maybe not next year. Could be a TE?

Steven Staggs (so.) – Great size at 6-3, 195. There’s probably room for one or two walk-ons to make some noise in 2011. He could position himself for a run at PT then.

Kyle Steinbrecher (jr.) – Good size at 6-2, 201. Depending on speed, he could be a special teams candidate this season. (I want to say he played some there last year, but I don’t think so.) 

This is the play that DJK injured his knee and hip. According to sources, he avoided surgery and should be ready for spring practice. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

TIGHT ENDS

Iowa loses an all-timer at tight end in Tony Moeaki. He officially missed 15 games during his career because of injury and was slowed in a few other games, but he wrapped it up with a career season, 30 catches for 387 yards and four TDs. He finished his career with 11 receiving TDs, that’s more than Marv Cook (8), Scott Chandler (10) and Dallas Clark (8). Kirk Ferentz repeatedly referred to Moeaki as a “complete tight end,” maybe the most complete in his time at Iowa. Moeaki’s ferocious blocking will land him a spot in the NFL.

Iowa will sort through seven scholarship tight ends to find a replacement.

Senior Allen Reisner, maybe the best hands on the team, is the clear No. 1 here. Junior Brad Herman could inherit No.2. After that, Iowa has five more — yes, five more — scholarship tight ends, with junior Zach Furlong, sophomore J.D. Griggs, redshirt freshman Dakota Getz and incoming freshmen C.J. Fiedorowicz and Austin Vier also on that list.

Allen Reisner (sr.) — Through seven games, Reisner had 13 catches and looked to be “in the offense.” Then, when the focus at tight end seemed to shift to blocking, Reisner caught just one pass for 9 yards over the final six games. The shift to blocking came around Michigan State. Iowa used more max protect in the second half of the season in an attempt to keep QB Ricky Stanzi from getting splattered. Reisner, 6-3, 235, has amazing hands and should see No. 1 TE touches this season.

Brad Herman (jr.) — Already a junior, Herman is having a very quiet career. He caught one pass for 3 yards this season. That’s his entire receiving resume. The 6-5, 242-pounder didn’t see his role increase much when Moeaki was sidelined for three games with an ankle injury in 2009. He’ll get the first shot at No. 2 TE touches, which could be 15 receptions. The No. 2 TE has to be a strong blocker.

Zach Furlong (jr.) — The 6-5, 235-pounder has yet to play a meaningful down. Not sure if he’s in the mix for any special teams.

J.D. Griggs (so.) – Again, inexperienced. Didn’t catch a pass as a redshirt freshman. At 6-5, 255, Griggs is an interesting prospect. There are seven tight ends on scholarship. Some of these guys might find playing time elsewhere. I don’t know if Griggs fits this, but his dimensions give him options.

Dakota Getz (fr.) — The 6-4, 210-pounder spent this year redshirting and building bulk. His claim to fame this year was playing Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt during Orange Bowl preparation. Another good-looking prospect. Like Herman, he’s from a small school in Illinois.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (fr.) — My opinion, the 6-7, 245-pounder makes a strong run at PT in ’10. He had 44 career TD receptions for Johnsburg (Ill.), one off the state record. As a senior, he caught 44 passes for 921 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also was a standout linebacker and safety. He was offered a scholarship by Wisconsin and Indiana for basketball. He qualified for the finals of the state track meet on a sprint relay team. If his speed and strength are where they need to be, Fiedorowicz will have a shot at No. 2 TE, at the minimum.

Austin Vier (fr.) — The 6-7, 220-pounder from Ballard High School played QB in high school and plans to give that position a shot at Iowa. But he’s said that he could see himself at TE, too, so I’m seeing him at TE with that 6-7, 220-pound frame. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily going to be a year or more than a year,” he said. “They (coaches) just said I’m going to get a shot at it. I don’t know how long that will be. I’m going to give it my best shot. I could end up at quarterback or I could end up at tight end. Either one, I’d be fine with.”

Iowa tight end Allen Reisner pumps his fist as he crosses the goal line for a touchdown on a Ricky Stanzi screen pass during the third quarter of their game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, in Iowa City. Iowa won, 38-16. This is Reisner's most famous contribution to the Hawkeyes, so far. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)