Former Plant High Star Robert Marve Answers Purdue’s Call -TBO
By: Brian PelosaTampa Tribune
September 6, 2012Purdue quarterback Robert Marve has an extra bounce in his step, one that can be detected from more than 1,000 miles away.“He’s just happy to finally be healthy and being able to show the things he can really do,” said Plant High coach Robert Weiner, who communicates with his former quarterback almost daily.After two ACL tears, the second taking away a majority of Marve’s 2010 season, he was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Now, it’s time to make the most of that opportunity.
“You have to understand football is just a sport, but I know a lot of people get caught up in it,” Marve said. “I’m just looking forward to having fun. I’m finally healthy and bouncing around like a kid again. I feel good about that and whatever happens this year — I’m just going to go out swinging as hard as I can.”On Purdue’s depth chart, not much has changed at the quarterback position from last season. Officially, Marve remains the backup. Starter Caleb TerBush was suspended for the season-opening game against FCS team Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, giving Marve the start. Despite throwing for a career-high 295 yards and three touchdowns in the 48-6 victory, Marve will not start Saturday’s nationally televised game against Notre Dame (3:30 p.m., NBC, Ch. 8). TerBush will start, with Marve and third-string quarterback Rob Henry also expected to play. That was the plan going into the season and it remains in place. “Robert is going to play a lot for us, but we’re going to keep things the way they are now just for continuity sake,” Purdue offensive coordinator Gary Nord said recently. “If he goes in there and is hot, he’ll stay in there and play.”
Marve’s first ACL tear occurred during a workout when he arrived on Purdue’s campus after transferring from the University of Miami after his freshman season. He made his Boilermakers debut at Notre Dame in the 2010 opener, completing 31-of-42 passes for 220 yards with two interceptions and one rushing touchdown.
The second ACL tear came three games later. The injuries cost Marve quality playing time even when he was on the field last season. The typical year-long recovery process from an ACL tear forced Marve to miss Purdue’s first two games last season, but he appeared in 10 of the final 11 games, completing 61 of 109 passes for 633 yards and four touchdowns. “Mentally he never had confidence in his knee last season,” Nord said. “Now you can tell there is no second guessing or wavering about making a cut or running with the ball.”
Marve’s best performance last season came in the Boilermakers’ 26-23 overtime win against visiting Ohio State, when he completed 10 of 13 passes for 91 yards and rushed for the winning touchdown. “(That game) kind of revived me a little bit with all of the surgeries I had,” Marve said. “Sometimes I questioned if this was the right thing to be doing or if it was meant to be. Then after going through spring (workouts) I saw how much fun I had when I didn’t have to worry about my knee.”
Marve has ditched the knee brace he wore during spring workouts, when he showed signs of returning to full health. Now he’s practicing at full speed on every play. “It’s the first time he’s been able to do that since the first time he injured his knee,” Purdue coach Danny Hope said. “Never getting that practice time sometimes had a debilitating effect on his performance in some games last season. He now understands the offense and manages the offense well.”
Weiner recalled a recent conversation with Marve in which the former Florida Mr. Football winner said he had a slight strain of his hamstring during a recent practice, but wasn’t worried, rather excited. “He said, ‘Coach, I’m still throwing it better than I’ve ever thrown it,’ ” Weiner said, adding Marve’s slight hamstring strain took a day or two to heal. Now healthy, the physical tools that made Marve the nation’s eighth-best pro-style quarterback prospect in 2008, according to Rivals.com, show through again. “He’s one of the most physically talented quarterbacks in the country,” Nord said. “He’s got to be up there with anybody in terms of arm strength, and he would be right up there with anybody with regards to foot speed and athleticism. He has unbelievable talent to work with.”
Marve and Murray Starting for Purdue and UGA -TBO
By: Joey Johnston
Tampa Tribune
September 2, 2010
Their time has arrived.
I’ve been counting down to this moment for a long time, Robert Marve said.
I’m excited, a little bit nervous, but it can’t come soon enough,
Aaron Murray said. It’s going to be a big day for both of us.
From Between the Hedges to the Golden Dome, let’s call it the most
significant afternoon ever for Plant High School’s quarterback pipeline.
Saturday at 12:21 p.m., Murray, a redshirt freshman, gets his first
start for the University of Georgia when the Bulldogs host
Louisiana-Lafayette. Then, in an NBC-televised game at 3:30, Marve, a
junior transfer, will make his Purdue University debut when the Boilermakers visit Notre Dame.
We couldn’t be more proud of those guys, Plant coach Robert Weiner said. Their bodies change and the speed of the game changes, but their ability to lead a team and win, that doesn’t change.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Georgia in the mix for a
national championship during Aaron’s career. I wouldn’t be surprised to
see Robert playing in the Rose Bowl before he leaves Purdue. I believe these guys are on the road to success.
The path has sometimes been bumpy.
Marve landed at Purdue after his acrimonious split from Miami, where
he started 11 games in 2008. But he was twice suspended and developed a strained relationship with Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon. Shortly after announcing his Purdue plans, Marve tore his ACL during a workout.
There were quite a few tests along the way, said Marve, who led Plant to the Class 4A state
championship in 2006. It’s hard to watch when you have to sit out.
It’s like if you never had a cell phone, you wouldn’t know what life was
like with one. But once you get one, you couldn’t live without it. I
have missed it, and now I’m really going to embrace the moment. Purdue
is a great place for me.
Marve has been educated in the tradition of Purdue quarterbacks. He
recently met former Boilermaker Drew Brees, Super Bowl-winning leader of
the New Orleans Saints. Marve said Purdue’s wide-open spread offense
will accentuate his strengths and has fueled his excitement.
Purdue coaches seem equally excited about Marve’s presence.
He can beat you with his arm or beat you with his legs,
Boilermakers coach Danny Hope said Aug. 2 during Big Ten Media Days.
Robert has great passion for the game. He has fit in well and his
teammates love him. We like everything about him. We certainly think he
has the potential and talent for us to win on Saturdays with.
At Georgia, Murray’s first-year outlook is described in more cautious tones.
The Bulldogs return 10 offensive starters, including All-America receiver A.J. Green, so Murray sees his job in clear terms.
I’m the question mark everyone is wondering about, said Murray, who
helped Plant to a 4A state title in 2008. I understand that. I haven’t
done anything yet.
I need to be smart and careful with my reads and decisions. They’re
not going to give me the whole playbook right away. If I can allow our
playmakers to stand out, let them do the work instead of trying to win
the game myself, I think I’ll earn some trust.
Only Georgia coach Mark Richt could express that philosophy with more clout. And he did just that July 22 at SEC Media Days.
We can’t just say, ‘Let it rip,’ and hope he doesn’t stumble, Richt
said. I mean, we have to manage him. I think he understands that, but
now he just has to live it out.
I’ll say this about our team. They respect this kid because he
prepares, because he puts the team first, because he has talent. So
they’re all rallying around this kid. He’s not abusing that trust
because he’s working his tail off.
Murray can’t wait to experience the atmosphere. He’s eagerly
anticipating his first SEC road game, Sept. 11 at South Carolina. It’s a
Plant-Jefferson matchup of sorts as Murray will face Stephen Garcia,
who began his junior season Thursday against Southern Miss.
Our area has a few (starting quarterbacks) in college football now, Murray said. This is going to be a lot of fun.
Aaron and I have even talked about our teams matching up in a bowl
game one day, Marve said. How amazing would that be? But that’s way
off in the future. We’ve got to do our job by taking it week by week.
Their time has arrived.
Robert Marve Ready to Start For Purdue – ESPN
Nice recap of the Big 10 Spring Football by Adam Rittenberg ESPN.com. Read the entire article here.
Best ESPN Quotes about Robert Marve at Purdue:
Top newcomer: Robert Marve seems to have turned a page at Purdue, showing greater maturity off the field and strong play on it. The quarterback transfer from Miami drew good reviews from his new teammates and coaches this spring as he put himself in position to be the Boilers’ starter Sept. 4 at Notre Dame.
Quarterback Robert Marve was a big bright spot for the Boilers this spring.
teams like Minnesota (Adam Weber), Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase) and Purdue (Robert Marve) have a decent idea of who will be calling signals in 2010.