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KGFW Sports – Husker Safeties Return, Lopers and High School Update

By News Jan 14, 2021 | 8:07 AM

Nebraska safeties Marquel Dismuke and Deontai Williams will be returning for a second senior season. Both announced their decision on Twitter Wednesday.

Dismuke, a 6-foot-2 215-pound California native, has started 20 consecutive games. He has 158 tackles in his Husker career, including 47 this past season. He was also tied for the team-lead in pass break-ups this past season with four. Dismuke played 536 snaps this past season according to PFF, which was third-most for Nebraska, only behind linebacker JoJo Domann (575) and cornerback DiCaprio Bootle (538).

Williams has started 10 games over his Husker career, and that number would be much higher if not for a season-ending injury he suffered in 2019. The 6-foot-1, 205 pound safety started seven of eight games this past season, seeing 519 total snaps, fourth-most on the team. He finished last season with 51 total tackles, including a strip-sack fumble return for a touchdown in the Huskers’ win over Penn State. Over his career, Williams has 76 total tackles in 21 games, including 4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and eight pass break-ups. The former JUCO product will also be one of the older players to start at Nebraska in recent history, as he will turn 25 in October.

Athlon is predicting a fifth-place West Division finish for the Huskers in 2021. The publication points out that five of the Huskers’ losses this past season were by eight points or less, so there’s an opportunity with some small gains on both sides of the ball to turn close losses into wins. Athlon has Wisconsin winning the West Division title, followed by Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue and Illinois. Ohio State is picked to win the East Division, followed by Indiana, Penn State, Michigan, Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers.

The UNK men and 5th ranked Loper women’s basketball team will host Missouri Western State tonight at the Health and Sports Center. The women will tipoff at 5:30, the men at 7:30.

Thursday
Kearney High Wrestling vs. North Platte – 7:00 @ KHS
Kearney High Boys Basketball @ Lincoln Northeast – 7:00

Friday
Kearney Swimming & Diving @ Lincoln High Invite – 4:30
Kearney High Girls Basketball @ Lincoln Northeast – 7:00
Kearney Catholic Girls Basketball vs. Broken Bow – 5:30
Kearney Catholic Boys Basketball vs. Broken Bow – 7:00

Saturday
Kearney Swimming & Diving @ Lincoln High Invite – 10:00
Kearney High Wrestling @ HAC Championships – 10:30 @ KHS (Updated)
Kearney High Girls Basketball vs. Papillion-LaVista South – 4:30 @ KHS
Kearney High Boys Basketball vs. Papillion-LaVista South – 6:15 @ KHS
Kearney Catholic Wrestling @ Gibbon Invite – 10:00
Kearney Catholic Girls Basketball @ Hastings St. Cecilia – 2:30
Kearney Catholic Boys Basketball @ Hastings St. Cecilia – 4:15