Garrett Schires has taken a lot of snaps under the glare of the spotlight.

Unfortunately for the Harvard football team, that was in high school.

With starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick out with an injury, Schires, a junior lefty from Fairfax Station, Va., will get the chance to start in just such an environment this Saturday as the Crimson (4-0, 2-0 Ivy League) hosts Lafayette (3-2, 0-2 Patriot League) in the season’s non-conference finale.

Schires’ first varsity start—his first since his senior year in high school—comes under unfortunate circumstances.

In last week’s 27-0 shutout of Cornell, Fitzpatrick, arguably the top offensive player in I-AA, broke his throwing hand.

As a result, Schires, Harvard’s backup, will be asked to take the reins of the nation’s top I-AA offense (491.5 yards per game) and lead a team whose weekly climb up the Sports Network national rankings now rests at No. 22.

Pressure?

Don’t bet on it.

“I’m not too nervous,” Schires said Wednesday. “Just excited.”

Schires, a product of Fairfax’s Robinson Secondary School in Northern Virginia—where football is King—made the playoffs every year, leading his team to an undefeated season his senior year.

Competing with teammates who went on to play at Division I-A schools like Virginia and Virginia Tech, Schires routinely played quarterback under the gaze of capacity crowds and television audiences.

Once again, he gets the chance to perform for watchful eyes. He will lead an undefeated Harvard team this weekend that has outscored its opponents by an average of 23 points. And he couldn’t be happier about the opportunity.

“I’m used to being on a winning team, and I’m used to lots of exposure,” he said. “I’m very excited [about starting]. That’s why you keep putting in the work in practice.”

Schires has appeared in all but one game this season, but has not seen much action this year—he has gained 48 rushing yards on 11 attempts, but has failed to complete a pass in three tries.

His last meaningful action was in 2001, when he completed 9 of 11 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. In that game, both former starting quarterback Neil Rose and Fitzpatrick were injured.