Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:45
After falling to Louisville and Navy in their last two contests, the UCF Knights (3-2; 1-1 AAC) defeated East Carolina (3-3; 1-1 AAC) in a thrilling game at the Bounce House last Saturday night. The game was televised live on ESPN+. The Knights take on the #3-ranked Bearcats of Cincinnati (5-0; 1-0 AAC) on Saturday. Kickoff is at Noon and the game will be nationally-televised on ABC. See below for the AAC’s summary of UCF’s win over ECU along with video highlights from the game.
ORLANDO, Fla. — — Mark-Antony Richards’ 1-yard touchdown smash with 23 seconds left to play helped carry UCF to a 20-16 win over East Carolina on Saturday.
Richards’ score ended an 11-play, 64-yard drive that lasted just a little more than three minutes.
Johnny Richardson paced UCF (3-2, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) on the ground with 104 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Mikey Keene threw for 194 yards for the Knights.
Holton Ahlers threw for 208 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Pirates (3-3, 1-1).
With its sixth-straight win over the Pirates, UCF leads the cumulative series 11-10.
Filed under: Nursing Science — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 11:56
Dr. Blackwell’s original article, “COVID-19 Vaccination in Adults Living with HIV” has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, considered the premier academic journal for the nurse practitioner profession. The article is co-authored by Blackwell’s frequent collaborator and physician Dr. Humberto Lopez-Castillo and provides crucial information for NPs and other clinical providers on the implications of prescribing the COVID-19 vaccination in the population of adults with HV. The abstract appears below:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended use of vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen to prevent COVID-19 infection in the United States. While these vaccines are safe and have been administered to millions of persons nationwide, special populations warrant closer focus. Adults living with HIV may have specific clinical considerations that should be acknowledged when making COVID-19 vaccination prescribing decisions. This article discusses these practice considerations and provides clinical and additional guidance for nurse practitioners and other clinicians responsible for prescribing COVID-19 vaccines in adults living with HIV.
Dr. Christopher Blackwell has won national election to the Board of Commissioners for the National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator program. He recently served on the Board as an appointed member from 2018-2020. His election secures him a seat on the Board through 2024.
Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 23:43
The UCF Knights (2-0; 0-0 AAC) crushed the Wildcats of Bethune Cookman (0-2; 0-0 SWAC) 63-14 Saturday night in front of a packed Bounce House Stadium. It was a huge week for UCF, which accepted an offer to join the Big XII Conference by 2024, sealing the Knights’ future as a member of a Power 5 conference. The Knights now move on to face ACC foe Louisville (1-1; 0-0 ACC) on Friday night. That game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7:30pm. Check out a synopsis of UCF’s win against Bethune Cookman courtesy of the AAC and video highlights of the game courtesy of UCF Athletics below:
ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF improved to 2-0 on the season with a 63-14 victory over visiting Bethune-Cookman, Saturday at the Bounce House. Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
The Knights struck first with a rushing touchdown from Isaiah Bowser, his second of the season. Bethune-Cookman then countered with a score of its own to tie the game at 7-7.
UCF took a 14-7 lead when Dillon Gabriel found Brandon Johnson in the end zone from 22 yards out. It marked the 25th straight game Gabriel has thrown a touchdown, taking sole possession of second place in the UCF record book for consecutive games with a passing touchdown.
Tatum Bethune snagged his second-career interception.
Isaiah Bowser rushed for a trio of touchdowns in the second quarter to help UCF get out to a 35-7 lead at halftime. Bowser tied the UCF record for rushing touchdowns in the game, matching Darriel Mack, Kevin Smith and Alex Haynes.
Gabriel had the longest rush of his career, running 44 yards and all the way across the field to make it 42-7 in the third quarter. The Wildcats got one score back in the third to make it 42-14.
Gabriel found Trillion Coles for a third-quarter touchdown, the first for Coles in his career, making it 49-14.
The Knights made it 56-14 when freshmen quarterback Mikey Keene hit Kaedin Robinson for a 30-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. It was Keene’s first touchdown in his first collegiate action, and Robinson’s first-career score on the first catch of his career.
Coles rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 63-14 in favor of the Knights.
Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:23
The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 AAC) roared back from a 21-point deficit against the Boise State Broncos (0-1; 0-0 MWC) Thursday night (after a 3-hour weather delay) to win 36-31. The game was absolutely heart pounding; and it marked the biggest comeback win in Knights football history! Rumors of a potential B12 invite also heated up hours before the game, when ESPN began reporting that UCF, BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati were top contenders for B12 conference expansion.
This news crystallized on Friday when ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and other sports media outlets confirmed an official invite from the league could be coming by September 10th. The move to the B12 would be historic and monumental for UCF, marking its entrance into a Power 5 conference. Below, read UCF Athletics’ recap of UCF’s victory over Boise State and watch video highlights courtesy of the AAC:
The UCF football team opened the Gus Malzahn era with a 36-31 defeat of visiting Boise State, Thursday in a delayed start at the Bounce House. Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 318 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Knights won their season opener for the sixth straight year.
The 2021 season opener for the UCF football team against Boise State, scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. from the Bounce House Thursday night, kicked off at 9:45 p.m. after a lightning delay.
After stopping the Broncos on their first drive, the Knights drove the length of the field, but Boise State intercepted Dillon Gabriel and returned it for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Boise State scored again on a 3-yard rush to take a 14-0 first-quarter league.
Boise State extended its lead to 21-0 in the second quarter, but the Knights struck back with a touchdown from Gabriel to Alec Holler, the tight end’s first-career reception.
Gabriel found Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a 8-yard pass with six seconds left in the first half to make it 24-14.
Early in the third, Gabriel hit Brandon Johnson for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it just 24-21 in favor of the Broncos.
UCF took the lead, at 28-24, when Gabriel hit Jaylon Robinson for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The Knights made it 30-24 on a safety early in the fourth quarter.
Boise State retook the lead after Gabriel’s second interception led to a Bronco touchdown to make it 31-30.
The Knights took a 36-31 advantage when Isaiah Bowser rushed for a score late in the fourth quarter. UCF’s two-point conversion was no good.
The trailer for Ridley Scott’s new film House of Gucci, starring Academy Award Winners Lady GaGa, Al Pacino, and Jared Leto was released today. If the final product lives up to the quality of its trailer, the movie looks to be a favorite to sweep the 2021 Oscars. Take a look at the trailer below. And by the way—is there anything the insanely and ultra-talented Lady GaGa CAN’T do!?
Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 23:45
Swedish pop superstar Eric Saade appeared on Swedish television last week to perform his new single, “Like U Used To” (available now on iTunes). The song highlights Saade’s evolving sound, which features less emphasis on a traditional pop sound. Check out his fantastic performance, below:
The 2021 University of Central Florida’s Founders Day Ceremony was held on Wednesday April 7th. The University honored recipients earning prestigious awards from the University and their respective Colleges. Dr. Blackwell was among those recognized. Dr. Blackwell earned the 2021 Excellence in Graduate Teaching award from UCF’s College of Nursing. The award recognizes graduate Faculty that have contributed significantly to graduate education, including substantial teaching of graduate courses (including thesis and dissertation courses), shown innovation to improve graduate teaching, and who have exhibited evidence of significant impact on graduate teaching. The award marks Blackwell’s second major recognition in the 2020-2021 academic year, after being inducted into the University’s prestigious Scroll and Quill Society at the end of 2020.
Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:08
On the April 2nd episode of the Graham Norton Show, Rupaul’s Drag Race superstar Michelle Visage joined UK mega-star pop group Steps to perform their new single, “Heartbreak in this City” from Step’s new album What the Future Holds. While fans were quick to note Steps’ member Lisa Scott-Lee was missing from the performance, the group clarified her absence as a consequence of traveling restrictions into the UK from Dubai, where Scott-Lee resides. Lisa will rejoin Steps for their world tour later in the year. Excitingly, the group also announced Visage will be lending some guest vocals on Steps’ September release of a new album, What the Future Holds, Part 2! Check out Steps’ performance of “Heartbreak in this City” featuring Michelle Visage, below:
Filed under: Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 01:34
Swedish pop superstar Eric Saade returned to familiar roots a few weeks ago performing his new single, “Every Minute” in the Medlodifestivalen Swedish song competition. The song marks a return to performing in English after Eric’s last album, Det svarta faret (Black Sheep), recorded entirely in Swedish, proved to be a major hit. Take a look at Eric’s live performance on Melodifestivalen below in addition to the song’s official music video:
