MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning doesn’t exactly recall the exact circumstances — “Either one of them pulled a knife on a fistfight or one of them pulled a gun on a knife fight.” — but there’s a reason why he pronounces his last name differently than Kansas offensive coordinator Les Koenning.
The Koennings, who will oppose each other Saturday as WVU takes on the Jayhawks in Lawrence, are second cousins, according to Vic, but Vic’s side of the family says the last name phonetically with a strong “O,” like “Koe-ning,” while Les says it with a soft “E,” such as “Ken-ning.”
Vic said the tale his father told him about the difference was a long story, but with his knack for story-telling, he gave an abridged version that dates back centuries.
It began in East Texas, where two brothers lived and worked together on a farm. As Vic knows with three sons himself, “Boys tend to fight a little bit when they get older,” he said.
One day, a fight ensued between the two brothers, and one decided to pick up and leave.
“I’m sure that was my relative,” Vic quipped, “most of my relatives are from San Antonio.”
After the brothers went their separate ways, so did future generations of Koennings and how they decided to say their last name.
While Vic knew about Les when Les played at Texas as a quarterback turned wide receiver for the Longhorns and Vic was at Kansas State during the same period in the late 1970s, it wasn’t until a coaches convention in New Orleans when they finally got a chance to talk.
“I ran into him at a coaches convention years later, and he looked like me, so I said, ‘You’ve gotta be related to me,’ ” Vic said. “We’ve talked a bunch, not recently, but we’ve gotten to be acquaintances. I’ve talked to his dad and he said, ‘I heard that story.’ It’s the same one my dad told me. So, that must be true.”
Regardless of who’s right and who’s wrong, both will face off with what each Koenning would deem a more important matter.
Vic’s defense is coming off an impressive performance last week against N.C. State, not allowing a second half touchdown and buckling down in the red zone when needed. Les’ offense is also feeling good after a stellar performance, dropping 48 points on Boston College in helping Kansas win its first Power 5 road game in 11 years.
Les wasn’t supposed to be the K.U.’s offensive coordinator under head coach Les Miles originally. It was supposed to be Chip Lindsey, who left for the head coaching position at Troy when it was vacated by WVU head coach Neal Brown.
It wasn’t an easy beginning for Les, whose offense only had 344 total yards in the opening win over Indiana State, followed up with an abysmal 280 yards and one touchdown in a 12-7 loss at home to Coastal Carolina.
But the win at Boston College showed how potent the Jayhawks’ running game can be with Khalil Herbert and Pooka Williams, who combined for 229 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles.
Quarterback Carter Stanley is also a concern for Vic — he went 20 of 27 for 238 yards and three touchdowns against Boston College, but also has three interceptions on the season.
“I think he throws a very accurate football,” Vic said. “It’s in front of the receiver which allows them to keep running. I saw one time in three games where he opened the wrong way. I haven’t seen anything to make me think he’s not in complete control. Last week, they opened the field up and he shredded Boston College. He single-handedly took that game over. He threw the ball to the right guy and didn’t miss any open guys. I was extremely impressed with him.”
Vic’s defense, though, has been excellent in pass defense — it ranks tied for second in pass-breakups, with 17, and are 29th in total pass defense, allowing 177 per game through the air.
