Marve to See Significant Snaps in Saturday's Spring Game

13 comments so far April 16, 2009 by Brandon Vogel

Robert Marve wanted to come to Nebraska's spring game this Saturday to get a good, close look at the Huskers offense. He had no idea it was going to be this close.

In a surprising announcement after practice Wednesday, Bo Pelini said that Marve will not just be watching the annual spring scrimmage, he will be playing quarterback for the White squad.

"It's certainly not an ideal situation," Pelini said, "but with (Spano's) injury and (Witt's) transfer we were a little thin back there. Nebraska football is about competing and what better way to see if a kid can compete than going live out there on the field?"

Marve had listed Nebraska as one of six schools he was considering as a potential transfer destination back in March. The former University of Miami quarterback had planned to continue his tour of schools next week with stops at Texas Tech and Arizona State, but the chance for immediate scout team playing time may have moved the Huskers to the top of the list.

"Earlier I said it was too early to say where he's at," said Robert Weiner, Marve's former coach at Plant High School. "Now, to hand the reins to a kid who has zero familiarity with offense, I think that's a great indication of Nebraska's confidence in his abilities and I know that sort of thing ranks high with Rob. He's a gut feel kind of guy."

Saturday will certainly be a gut-check, both for Marve and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. "Sure, we'll have to simplify things a bit," said Watson on Wednesday. "There will be an element of drawing plays in the dirt, run a slant once you hit the street light, that sort of thing, but football is football. In a lot of ways this is the ultimate tryout, both for Robert and for us."

An unfamiliar offense, however, might be the least of Marve's worries. As the quarterback is not technically a Husker yet and will be forced to sit out a year following the transfer, Pelini said Marve will be playing Saturday without the green "hands off" jersey.

"This isn't just about offense or dwindling quarterback numbers," said defensive coordinator Carl Pelini. "Part of the reason we decided to do this as a staff was to get our defense some live reps as well. I've got 30 or 40 guys who've gone three weeks in the spring without being able to hit a quarterback. They're chomping at the bit. Marve gives us the flexibility to do that and I'm planning to blitz the hell out of him."

When asked if such a move was allowed under NCAA rules, Bo Pelini threw the question right back at the roomful of reporters. "What do you think? No, seriously, what do you think? I have no idea," Pelini said. "From our perspective the benefits are pretty obvious. Marve gets a chance to not just see but play Nebraska football, our fans get a chance to see him play before he enrolls, our defense gets to pin their ears back for an afternoon, and we minimize the risk of further injury to one of the three quarterbacks already on the roster. It's a win, win, win, win situation."

Will Marve see it that way?

"Rob's a gladiator out there on the football field," Weiner said via phone. "The chance to play in Memorial Stadium in front of 80,000 crazed fans is an honor and a challenge, but it's not like his fate will be decided with a thumbs up or down after the game."

Pelini declined to comment on whether or not Marve's future as a Husker would be decided by popular vote Saturday, but did say that Zac Lee, LaTravis Washington and Cody Green will all be wearing green jerseys and splitting snaps for the Red team under the new arrangement.

Robert Marve is scheduled to arrive in Lincoln late Friday afternoon.

From time to time, the Big Red Network will publish “Onion”-style satire. We apologize in advance to anyone we may offend, it's all meant as harmless fun. We can assure you, the reader, that no recruits were harmed in assembling this piece.

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