Maryland football vs. Georgia Tech: Shawn Petty gets his unexpected shot at quarterback Of course, few could have envisioned such a startling turn of events in College Park, with four Maryland quarterbacks now sidelined with season-ending injuries. So Petty, still wearing the No. 31 given to him as a linebacker, will be the Terrapins" starting quarterback Saturday against Georgia Tech, the culmination of a dream that seemed too improbable to even attempt. "Naw, I'm not nervous," Rayford Petty said this week in a telephone interview. Just talking with Shawn, he's excited about the opportunity of a lifetime for him. Something he's always wanted to do. It'll cost him his redshirt year, but at the end of the day this is what he always wanted to be. Having an opportunity to play quarterback, not necessarily be the guy. That's what he's done all his life and all his life in football. During his junior year at Eleanor Roosevelt, Shawn Petty had a guide pin surgically inserted into the bone to fix a broken clavicle suffered against Oxon Hill five weeks earlier. Rarely a vocal leader, yet always a source of inspiration for teammates, Petty was cleared the day before the Raiders" 4A South region semifinal against Suitland. Petty begged to play defense, too, but Coach Tom Green only let his star quarterback line up under center. The result? Three total touchdowns and a 20-14 win. A three-year starter at Eleanor Roosevelt, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Petty ran the triple option, averaging around 15 carries per game with a powerful running style and a quick release in the pocket. He's a bruiser. He can lay some wood out there," Maryland center Evan Mulrooney said. Everyone's looking forward to seeing how many guys he runs over this weekend. That Petty will even line up under center, let alone attempt to bulldoze Georgia Tech defenders, is miraculous enough. A lifelong quarterback - the first day he showed up for the Kettering-Largo-Mitchellville Football Program, Shawn's father volunteered him as the signal-caller - Petty was a 2011 first-team All-Met selection at linebacker but received zero scholarship offers to play quarterback in college. "I bet he's blown away, as far as getting an opportunity to do this," said Sam Durant, Petty's coach with the KLM Steelers. I'm pretty sure he didn't think he'd get an opportunity to play quarterback at Maryland. I think he's really blown away as far as this. He always smiles, so I'm pretty sure he's smiling and grinning from ear to ear. That smile, offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said, has been its widest throughout the week. Before Petty switched positions, becoming Caleb Rowe's backup in advance of last Saturday's game against Boston College, Locksley's interactions with the linebacker had been limited to his play on Maryland's scout team, yelling at Petty for providing improper coverage. Now Petty enters meetings with broad grins, breaking his joviality only to take notes and ask questions. Locksley thinks Petty prepares like a player who has something to prove. Mulrooney agreed, saying Petty has that "quarterback swagger." They might be right. He's a pleaser. He's going to do all he can," Green said. He keeps everyone calm, never gets too excited about any one thing. If he makes a mistake, he can let an interception or a fumble go. He'll stay positive no matter what the situation is, which is good. He's not a vocal guy. Lead by example type of guy. He'll never be the rah-rah and the talk. Two weeks ago, Durant brought his Steelers to Byrd Stadium, where they took the field for a game under the lights after the Terrapins beat Wake Forest. Durant ran into a few KLM alumni in College Park, including offensive lineman Peter White and linebacker Kenneth Tate. But he never saw Petty on the field, as Shawn didn't dress for Maryland's 19-14 win over the Demon Deacons. Instead, he walked the sideline that afternoon, wearing black sweatpants and a Terrapins warmup jacket, cheering on the players he would soon join, sooner than he ever expected.