Brock Horne and Patrick Day Have Helped Turn Around a Culture, Six Years and Fifty-Six Games in the Making
Noah Tylutki, Strategic Communications Coordinator
12/26/2024
The Bowling Green football team concludes the 2024 season tonight (Dec. 26) in the 68 Ventures Bowl against Arkansas State. Kick is set for 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN. It will be the final collegiate game for nearly 30 Falcons, including six-year Falcons ILB Brock Horne and S Patrick Day. The Horne and Day duo will extend their program record for career games to 57 against the Red Wolves.
MOBILE, Ala. - On the northwest side of Urquhart Field at UMS-Wright Preparatory School in Mobile, Ala., on a crystal-clear day, Brock Horne and Patrick Day are sharing smiles.
The two defenders listen to BGSU co-defensive coordinator Steve Morrison’s three-word calls during the walkthrough practice two days ahead of their 68 Ventures Bowl matchup against Arkansas State, which marks the final game of their collegiate careers. Both are on the field together, in constant communication with the rest of the defense as the scout team offense lines up ready for a play.
After many plays, the two of them laugh together along with their teammates. Later during the punt period of practice, Horne and Day take their usual spots next to each other on the unit they have shared for the last four years.
More smiles and laughter ensue.
“I'm always pretty loose at practice,” Horne said. “I try and keep it pretty light, because we're always so serious all the time. Part of me is focusing, but I also need to joke around and hang out. That's just how I am.”
“We know what we're doing,” Day added. “We know the scheme, so it's just mental prep more than anything. When we're out there, we already know what's coming and what we're supposed to do.”
That preparation and energy team captain Horne and Day bring every day is six years and a BGSU-record 56 games played in the making. It is also a journey of growth in a program that has restored its winning tradition after seven-straight losing seasons.
Horne was recruited to BG out of Romeo High School in Romeo, Mich., by then-linebackers coach Jacob Schoonover, who first-year head coach Scot Loeffler retained on his staff after being hired in November 2018. Day was not heavily sought after from Hilliard Bradley High School outside Columbus, just trying to latch onto a Division I program as a preferred walk-on and get a chance to eventually earn a scholarship.
Both knew the kind of situation they were walking into. They were well-aware of a team that reeked of selfishness and “me guys” that went 9-27 in the three seasons prior to Loeffler’s arrival. Despite a culture in need of nurturing, they realized the foresight Loeffler had for the program would one day come to fruition, seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
“I believed in Coach Loeffler and bought into his vision,” Horne said. “Part of the reason why I came here was because I felt that the staff and [Loeffler] were the right guys that were going to turn this place around. It took a little longer than we expected, but the outcome is there. We're not a 3-9 program anymore.”
Day was one of about 40 walk-ons that Loeffler signed prior to his first season at Bowling Green, in part to revamp the team’s makeup with players that better fit his mold. He knew with the coaching change that there would be an opportunity to push toward his goal of earning a scholarship with an influx of players leaving the program.
I believed in Coach Loeffler and bought into his vision. Part of the reason why I came here was because I felt that the staff and [Loeffler] were the right guys that were going to turn this place around. It took a little longer than we expected, but the outcome is there. We're not a 3-9 program anymore.Brock Horne
“I was kind of desperate for anything,” Day said. “I didn’t really know anything about BG, but I knew I’d be able to keep my head on straight and really grind and push towards that goal of getting on scholarship.”
Day eventually earned that scholarship after the 2020 COVID 19-shortened season.
While there were some older players who helped mentor Horne and Day early on in their careers, they “didn’t necessarily do everything the right way,” according to Horne. In order to set the foundation of a massive culture shift, Loeffler and his staff needed to bring in “the right people” to inspire change who lived by the program’s core values of grit, gratitude and selflessness.
Players like Horne, Day, former wide receiver Austin Osborne and quarterback Matt McDonald and 2023 team captain Darren Anders were all seen as such.
“They brought in people who really cared about football and put so much into it,” Horne said about Loeffler and his staff. “Then, they were propped up as leaders of the team so that way the younger people could see how that’s how it’s supposed to be. Because of that, we have a lot more guys who are more invested in the team and care about each other now.”
“You didn't know what to expect from the coaching staff and what they wanted from us in Loeffler’s first year,” Day said. “Being able to build the program with people that have been here for a while now, you're able to teach the young guys through us.”
Which is just one of many different reasons both Horne and Day decided to stay in the program for so long, setting the BGSU record for most games played in a career in the regular season finale against Miami (OH).
“For me, transferring always felt like I’d be giving up on this team to chase something just for myself,” Day said. “I always thought that we had a really good team and a chance to do something special, and I didn't want to quit on my teammates and leave them behind when they potentially could have needed me in a critical moment. [The record] just means that we had the mental toughness to stick around and work through some tough times.”
I always thought that we had a really good team and a chance to do something special, and I didn't want to quit on my teammates and leave them behind when they potentially could have needed me in a critical moment. [The record] just means that we had the mental toughness to stick around and work through some tough times.Patrick Day
As they get set to play in their collegiate finales at Hancock Whitney Stadium on December 26, Horne and Day have been soaking in every last minute with their teammates during the ever-festive bowl week that serves as a celebration of their season. The Falcons have participated in community service projects, a Topgolf event, watching a movie at a theater and even an entertaining battle of classes in a team karaoke contest to the tune of Christmas carols.
Both graduated with their MBAs this semester and have jobs lined up after the season is over. But for now, they are taking in the spirit of bowl season with countless smiles and laughs knowing the positive impact they have had on the BGSU football program.
“I'm trying to live in the moment and just savor the time that I'm going to get to spend with these guys,” Horne said. “So many of us are going to go our separate ways, and you’re not going to see some of these guys again. I’m definitely not going to try and let the emotion hit until after the game and then really soak it in.”
“With it being the last game, I'll never get to do that again,” Day said. “It'll be something I'm really grateful for.”
