Robert Marve is in trouble. Big trouble.
The Hurricanes' redshirt freshman quarterback is coming into Gainesville for Saturday's UF-Miami game with exactly zero college passing yards, zero passing attempts, zero touchdowns and a quarterback rating of - you guessed it - zero.
His first pass as a college quarterback will come Saturday night in The Swamp, a stadium with a maximum capacity of 88,548 that routinely fills itself with 90,000 people - more than it can physically hold.
Think about that. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is so swarmed with fans that it defies the laws of mathematics. And probably some fire codes. That's what Marve will be dealing with when he drops back for the first time in a college uniform.
That's like jumping headfirst off Niagra Falls without knowing how to swim.
Like enrolling in calculus without comprehending the finer points of addition.
Like trying to bake the perfect quiche without knowing how to turn on the stove.
It's safe to say Marve has a bit of pressure on him.
True freshman quarterback Jacory Harris took the helm in Miami's week-one domination over Charleston Southern on Aug. 28, completing 16 of 26 passes against the overmatched Buccaneers defense.
Marve, on the other hand, will be facing not only the noise of The Swamp, but also the Gators' revitalized and confident defense. The combination of safeties Ahmad Black and Major Wright outscored UF quarterback Tim Tebow against Hawaii, the defensive line is improving fast with 3.5 sacks against the Warriors, and linebacker Brandon Spikes will likely be back in action. It all spells doom for the Miami signal-caller.
Just ask Hawaii's quarterbacks from Saturday's game. Actually, they might not be able to hear you through the cotton balls crammed in their ears.
Junior starter Greg Alexander, playing in his first Football Bowl Subdivision game, threw for a measly 57 yards and two interceptions.
Sophomore Brent Rausch also made his first appearance in FBS, and he managed 14 yards.
Hawaii's best quarterback, third-stringer Inoke Funaki, tallied 110 and a touchdown, but did so against UF non-starters and without the pressure of having a chance to win the game. And they were playing in the afternoon without a national audience looking on from their couches.
"Hopefully the crowd is, well, I can only imagine what it's going to be like," Meyer said.
Meyer followed by saying Marve will be composed, that the atmosphere won't impact him, that he won't be as bad as Hawaii's quarterbacks.
I disagree.
Going to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at night is not just a game. It's being surrounded by the jeers of more fans than can technically be there, many of them drunk since the early afternoon. It's hands-over-your-ears-just-to-hear-yourself-think chaos. It's an experience.
And for Robert Marve, it's going to be hell.
