COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Embattled Michigan coach Brady Hoke didn't have much to say when it came to his own personal evaluation of the job he's done at the school.

After Michigan's 42-28 season-ending loss at Ohio State on Saturday, Hoke admitted he was disappointed, and was hurt for his team's veterans. But he also continued to insist that the youth on the team's roster was the main reason why he believed the program was, in fact, headed in the right direction.

Hoke's players, meanwhile, stuck up for their head coach.

And they, too, see a light at the end of this tunnel.

"Look at the youth on the team, (I think Devin Gardner's) the only starter on offense not coming back," Michigan junior center Jack Miller said. "Defensively it's Jake (Ryan) and a couple others. And even the guys who haven't played are earning their stripes in practice and stuff like that.

"I'm really confident in all the guys coming back. This adversity that we've been through this year, it's been tough for everyone. But it's only going to make us better."

As for Hoke, Michigan's coach said after the game he had no knowledge of when his job evaluation with interim athletic director Jim Hackett would take place. He said, at the moment, his intentions are to continue to coach Michigan. Though, at the same time, he's also been given no assurances that he'll be the team's coach at the start of the 2015 season.

His players, as they have all year, fought for him during the game against Ohio State on Saturday. And they did so again once it was all over.

"He believes and he fights, him coming to work every day hasn't wavered one bit," Gardner said. "Win, lose, Sugar Bowl, no bowl. It's the same. He's there every day and he works hard with us.

"We respect him for that. We love him for that. I don't make those type of decisions, I just know he's a great coach. He's coached us hard. We've tried to execute. It just didn't work out the way we thought it should."

The fact remains, of course, that Michigan's program has finished with a worse record in each year that's followed Hoke's debut 11-2 season in 2011. The Wolverines are now 18-14 under Hoke in the Big Ten, and have finished with a losing record in conference play in each of the past two seasons.

Michigan had 54 players on its offense-defense depth chart entering the Ohio State game on Saturday. As of right now, 48 of those players have eligibility left for next season, as only six seniors were on the chart.

Michigan went into the final game of the 2013 regular season with 13 seniors on its depth chart. That team went 7-5 before losing in a bowl game. The year prior, 15 players on the depth chart were seniors in the final regular season game. The team went 8-4 and lost in a bowl game.

"Devin, Will (Hagerup) and I are the only fifth-year (scholarship) seniors on the team," Ryan said. "Just look at that. I don't know, there are 50-something other guys (on the depth chart) that are coming back.

"It's crazy how much this program will develop."

For now, though, uncertainty continues to hover over Michigan's program.

And all the Wolverines can do is wait.

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