The line of succession has been put to use in an injury-depleted Red football lineup.

And the role of the admiral, the quarterback position, welcomes another successor.

Freshman quarterback Jeff Mathews was supposed to play a back-up role this season. But there’s a reason teams have substitutes waiting in line to crack the number one spot.

A broken right arm to junior Adam Currie in the Red’s first game of the season at Wagner allowed Mathews to take on a new role: starting quarterback. And while injuries come and go in Ithaca, freshman signal callers certainly do not. In just week two of his collegiate career, Mathews became the first freshman quarterback ever to start for the Red.

But according to Mathews, you have to be ready for the line of succession to be put in place.

“You have to prepare like you’re a starter at any position on this football team,” said an upbeat Mathews before practice, helmet in hand. "And when that opportunity comes, you have to take advantage of it.”

At 1-4, the Red is 1-3 with Mathews at the helm and while it might not appear that he has taken advantage of his increased workload, Red head coach Kent Austin sees something special in Mathews that is uncanny.

“I think what’s unusual for Jeff as a freshman is that he is very diligent in his preparation,” Austin said. “He wants to be a student of the game. He wants to know the why, not just the what behind what we’re doing and understand things conceptually.”

According to Austin, Mathews has acclimated very well to his leadership role, even if that role is taken through the first five games of his collegiate career.

“He cares about his teammates,” said Austin. “I think that comes out naturally.”

Cornell running back Nick Booker-Tandy knows what it’s like to move up the line of succession and attain the number one spot—injuries to the Red backfield boosted Booker-Tandy up the depth chart this season as well.

According to Booker-Tandy, Mathews has risen to the occasion.

“He has acquired that leadership and over the past few games has stepped up to the plate like a Hall of Fame batter,” the Lafayette College transfer said.

But Mathews’ role as a leader has not been anything new for him. The Camarillo, Calif. native passed for 3,314 yards and 37 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions as a senior in high school. He was also the captain of the Camarillo High School basketball team, earning multiple letters.

Now Mathews is taking on that same role almost 3,000 miles away. From coast to coast, Mathews has found a way to make an impact, evident in the approval and praise from coaches and teammates.

Matthews garnered interest from Pac-10 schools, and even from BCS-buster Boise State and Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference.

But Cornell offered him the possibility to compete for a starting job, and a top-tier education. And less than one full game into his freshman season, he is having his cake and eating it too.

“Ultimately, to get a good education, an Ivy League education, it’s priceless,” said Mathews. ”You can’t get that everywhere, and that was a big part of my decision process.”

Mathews is currently in the College of Arts and Sciences, and could not escape the allure of an education at a prestigious Ivy League school.

The west-coast kid appears to fit in quite well, and his teammates are confident in his leadership abilities and willingness to matriculate as a player.

“He voices his opinion when he needs to,” said Booker-Tandy. “He’s going to be a great leader for the Cornell football team in the coming years.”