GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s two-quarterback system could be vastlydifferent this season.

Tim Tebow was a change-of-pace guy in 2006, replacing Chris Leak inshort-yardage and goal-line situations, running option plays and taking ondefenders with reckless abandon.

Now, Tebow’s the starter.

And although coach Urban Meyer wants to use Cameron Newton in a somewhatsimilar backup role, the highly touted freshman from Georgia hasn’t shown he canhandle it. At least not yet.

Newton could get a chance to prove himself Saturday, when the sixth-rankedGators begin defense of their national championship against Western Kentucky.

“He’s still young and you can see the youth show up on hard days, andthat’s a major concern,” Meyer said. “He’s a great person, but he’s not agreat leader. He’s not what Tim was at this time a year ago. Tim, when he was insixth grade, he could have gone in and been a leader.

“Cameron has come a long way, but he still has a ways to go.”

Newton enrolled in school in January and almost immediately earned the No. 2job. But he injured his back over the summer and had academic issues that forcedhim to miss a week of practice this fall.

Meyer said the backup spot was open for competition, but Newton eventuallyoutplayed freshman John Brantley and junior college transfer Bryan Waggener forthe spot.

Now, like Josh Portis and Tebow before him, he’ll likely play in the opener.

“He’s really impressive,” center Drew Miller said. “He’ll make somemental mistakes like all freshmen quarterbacks will, but he bounces back. He’sready to go.”

The 6-foot-5, 243-pound Newton scrambles as well as Tebow and has a strongerarm than Leak. He also seems to fit in better during position meetings.

“Cam is a different guy, different player, has different attributes, so therelationship is different,” Tebow said. “Me and Cam probably have a little bitmore in common than me and Chris did. … Cam has a totally differentpersonality. Chris was more of the silent type. Cam is definitely a talker.You’ll get a few more laughs out of him in the meeting rooms.”

But will it mean anything on the field?

The Gators hope to find out against the Hilltoppers, who are beginning theirtwo-year journey from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly DivisionI-AA) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A).

The quarterback rotation is just one of several questions Florida hopes toanswer in the opener.

How will the defense perform after losing nine starters from the title team?How will the offensive line hold up after losing left tackle Phil Trautwein witha stress fracture in his right foot? How will the young Gators — they have just10 seniors and 11 juniors on scholarship — handle playing with such a big targeton their back?

“We’re looking forward to getting everybody’s best shot,” Miller said.”We’re the defending national champions, and they’re going to play better thanthey do against anybody else because of that reason. If we play how we know howto play, we should be fine.”

Western Kentucky, which won the I-AA national title five years ago, is readyto be the first to challenge the Gators.

“To tell the truth, I think a lot of people are going to be shocked by ourperformance on Saturday,” offensive lineman Cody Hughes said. “A lot of peopleare underestimating us.”

The Hilltoppers have had 11 consecutive winning seasons and were in gamesagainst Kansas State and Auburn in recent years.

But opening against Florida could be a bigger challenge.

“We’re not going to beat around the bush — we’re a transitional program andthey won the I-A national championship last year,” Western Kentucky coach DavidElson said. “People look at it as difficulty or adversity, but it’s a greatopportunity — and that’s the way we will look at it.”

It’s a great opportunity for Florida’s Newton, too.

“He’s still a young quarterback and is still picking up everything,” Tebowsaid. “But he does a lot of things well.”

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