MADISON, Wis. - Iowa fans got a taste of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos' potential in the closing seconds of last week's loss to Iowa State, when the redshirt freshman receiver nearly returned a kickoff for what would have been a game-winning score.

But Johnson-Koulianos also showed his inexperience in that game, failing to get out of bounds to stop the clock after making a catch in the waning seconds of the first half, when the Hawkeyes had no timeouts and were in field-goal range.

Saturday, in Iowa's near upset of ninth-ranked Wisconsin, 'DJK,' as he is known on Internet message boards, did everything right.

For a banged-up and depleted bunch of Iowa receivers, his arrival couldn't have come at a better time.

"Derrell made some great plays," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Here's a guy who forgot to tie his shoes on Friday at practice, but he made some great plays and competed hard."

Johnson-Koulianos, a converted quarterback who was one of the top high school players to come out of talent-rich Ohio in 2006, was forced into action after No. 1 receiver Andy Brodell went down with a hamstring injury early in the first quarter of Iowa's 17-13 loss to the Badgers.

He responded with four catches for 45 yards - both career highs - including three for 32 yards on the Hawkeyes' scoring drive in the final minute of the first half. He made two sideline grabs on that march, getting out of bounds on both - something he failed to do in the same situation against Iowa State. That allowed Iowa, which was out of timeouts, to move 62 yards in 34 seconds to take a 10-7 lead into the half.

Johnson-Koulianos capped the drive with a highlight reel, one-handed grab, beating All-Big Ten cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu down the sideline for a 21-yard score.

It was a perfectly placed ball by quarterback Jake Christensen, but the catch was nothing short of remarkable for a guy still learning how to run routes.

"Derrell's very athletic," Christensen said in August after Johnson-Koulianos had scored a 55-yard touchdown in the Hawkeyes' open scrimmage. "He's got a lot of upside. He's got to learn the system a little better, but once he gets it down, he's going to be an explosive player for us."

The flame hit the fuse Saturday, and Johnson-Koulianos blew up.

After Wisconsin took a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, he nearly took back the ensuing kickoff, sprinting 44 yards up the left sideline before being tripped up by Badgers kicker Taylor Mehlhaff.

That return, one of two for 63 yards Johnson-Koulianos had in the game, set up an Iowa field goal that drew the Hawkeyes within 14-13 with 6 minutes to play.

But it was his catch before halftime that was most impressive.

It had ABC television announcers Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit spewing praise, and it added to the already impossible hype surrounding the young receiver.

Within minutes of Johnson-Koulianos' grab, a thread entitled "The legend of DJK" appeared on the Rivals.com message board. In it, countless fans have declared him the next big thing.

Ferentz is just glad he remembered to tie his shoes.

Catching the ball will be more paramount in the coming weeks, as the Hawkeyes move forward without their top two pass-catchers and try to rebound from a 2-2 start to the season.

With Brodell out indefinitely with what Ferentz called a "severe" hamstring injury and tight end Tony Moeaki likely gone for the season because of a dislocated elbow and broken wrist, Johnson-Koulianos will be a centerpiece of a receiving corps that has been decimated by injuries and suspensions.

Sophomore Trey Stross hasn't played since the opener because of a hamstring pull, and Dominique Douglas and Anthony Bowman are serving indefinite suspensions because of their August arrests for unauthorized use of a credit card.

That leaves Johnson-Koulianos and fellow redshirt freshmen James Cleveland and Paul Chaney and first-year freshman Colin Sandeman as the Hawkeyes' only scholarship receivers.

Cleveland led Iowa with four receptions for 77 yards Saturday, while Chaney added four grabs for 22 yards. Sandeman replaced Brodell as the Hawkeyes' punt returner and picked up 26 yards on his three touches.

"We're running out of playmakers - at least experienced playmakers," Ferentz said. "But from situations like that, opportunity arises. We had some guys step up and play well. They didn't act like freshmen out there. I didn't see anybody look intimidated."

Well, no one on the Iowa sideline anyway.

Across the field - and the country - 'DJK' made quite the impression.

"We had great execution," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said of the play before the half. "(Johnson-Koulianos) made a great play. He was able to pull the ball down and catch it with one hand."

Contact Eric Page at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com