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AUGUST 2017 ◆ 25 "That's the big picture," Blanding said. "A bowl game is where it's all at, no matter what bowl game it is. At the end of the day, you want to hold up that trophy. No matter what trophy it is, no matter how low the bowl is, no matter how high the bowl is, that's the bottom line. "You want to go bowling. That's the big picture. But it all starts with one day and one game at a time." When Blanding chose UVA in high school, he turned down offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and Florida State. While those programs have competed for national titles, the Wahoos are 11-25 over the last three years. "I made a name for myself here," Bland- ing said. "That's the bottom line. If I would have went anywhere else, I would have made a name for myself, but there still would have been someone there just like me. I came here and made a name for myself." He'll likely do the same at the next level, Mendenhall said. "The production he's had," Mendenhall said, "there's a lot of contributing factors — supporting cast, balls that make it to him — but a lot of where he is, he's putting himself there based on preparation. "When I'm asked by NFL personnel about him, it's usually one of the first things I say. His ability to take content from the classroom or from practice and then apply it in real time, he's exceptional. I'm not sure many coaches — myself included — could go out on the field and apply the way he does. He's very skilled at that." Mendenhall doesn't hide how fortunate he feels about Blanding's decision to return. Lee labels her son's upcoming mission "un- finished business." "He started something that he wants to finish," Lee said. "And he wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet. "He's bought into Mendenhall 100 per- cent from day one. He really feels like he can help change the program. "I mean, the first year, everybody had to learn everything all over again. So it defi- nitely was a new year for everybody. So I believe him coming back a second year [in the system] is going to be a lot different for him. He has so much hope to help turn the program around himself." Ginormous hopes. "Rome wasn't built in one day," Blanding said. "That's the biggest thing I can say. The culture's changing here. The wins are going to come. The program will change. It takes time. We don't know when, we don't know who's going to be there, [but] it's going to change around. It starts with this year now. Last year's over with and we just got to look forward to this year." ◆