UCF is approaching the halfway point of fall football camp, and the Knights are set to face their first real challenge during their first preseason scrimmage on Thursday night.

This scrimmage provides a valuable chance for coaches to closely examine key position battles, particularly at quarterback, while helping to establish a depth chart and identify areas that need improvement.

For offensive coordinator Steve Cooper, it boils down to one straightforward objective.

"You've just got to make plays," Cooper said Wednesday. "That's what we're aiming to see."

As UCF gears up for the upcoming season, the roster includes nearly 70 newcomers. The past seven months have focused on fostering team chemistry, but also on building a strong bond that transcends individual roles. Spring camp provided coaches with the chance to review the playbook and refine their strategies, but it also strengthened the team's unity.

This fall, the emphasis has shifted toward putting those plays into action and identifying standout players.

"We spent a lot more time than we did in the spring with situational football, because that's what the game is going to come down to," Cooper explained. "It's going to be the base fundamentals, blocking and tackling, running to and with the football. We get to see that every day in practice. We also get to see situations when we script them. So now, when we get into a real-life football situation, which is our first scrimmage, those are going to show up organically.

"Now we'll try and script some things up to where we can lead the situation the way we want it, but what I'm excited to see is our guys operate in those situations that come up without it being on the strip, without the coach being in the meeting room telling them, 'Hey, you can expect third down, or you can expect red zone.' Then can we execute those things? So that's going to be exciting."

UCF is in the middle of a three-man quarterback competition between Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown and Cam Fancher. Cooper believes Thursday's scrimmage will give the trio a better opportunity to play more situational football.

"We'll get a better idea of where those guys are at right now," he said. "The big thing that we're trying to see is which guy is going to be able to execute the call in and out of the huddle, operating the tempo, chemistry with the receivers, the tight ends and the running backs.

"We're at the point right now in camp where everyone generally has an idea or knows what to do, and we install every day. We don't baby these guys. We give them a full and real install, because the more you can do that, the more it's going to help our team."

Offensive lineman Cam Kinnie is excited for Thursday's opportunity.

"It's gonna be a lot of fun. There's nothing more fun than when you put the pads on, when you can kind of let it fly," he said.