I'll be honest, I kind of think this is a misnomer. There's more nuance to guys just hating practice. Michigan players hated practice under Rich Rod......and they were a laughing stock. I've never once heard a Michigan player say they hated practice under Harbaugh......but Michigan has just really grown in to a tough, resilient team here.
I don't know if Day is the issue, I don't know if the players are the issue, maybe the opponent is just the issue? There's just a lot that contributes to a loss and I don't believe a single thing like a team not being tough enough is the problem that needs fixed. To me, it seems more like a lot of little things......which can be harder to rein in all at once. Better coaching, better game plans, better in game execution, being able to really take a punch and get back up.....etc, etc.
The biggest problem now in any rivalry is the genie is out of the bottle for OSU and the hardest thing to do in this rivalry is to get it back in. The confidence Michigan is experiencing now in this game, against this coach and the game being in AA next year is just, a lot. Not saying OSU can't flip it back but for the first time in a while, OSU is going to head in to next years game with a lot of collective doubt. Will be interesting to see how they respond.