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Brady Hoke says if fans are "true fans," then they'll support his players. If not, then "they won't."

(Patrick Record | MLive.com)

ANN ARBOR -- On Saturday night, Michigan went through the most lopsided -- and arguably the ugliest -- loss of Brady Hoke's tenure.

The 31-0 loss at Notre Dame was the widest margin of defeat Michigan has suffered under Hoke, and the first time the program has been shutout since 1984 -- ending what was an NCAA-record streak of 365 games without a shutout loss.

On Monday, Hoke was asked if he had any message for Michigan's fan base -- a group that continues to grow restless with the Wolverines' recent play on the field, as the loss dropped Michigan to 3-7 in its last 10 under Hoke.

"If they're truly fans, they'll believe in these kids and what they've done and the hard work they've put in," Hoke said Monday afternoon. "If they're not, they won't."

Just about nothing went right for Michigan on Saturday night in South Bend, as the defense was consistently torched on the outside by Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson, who threw three first-half touchdown passes to basically put the game on ice before halftime.

The offense, meanwhile, never found any type of rhythm. Devin Gardner finished the game with three interceptions and a lost fumble. Matt Wile missed two field goals. The running game averaged less than three yards per carry.

In short, it was a disaster -- and no one has to remind Michigan of that.

"We didn't play well enough in the red zone defensively, we didn't finish drives," Hoke said. "You have a nine play drive and you don't finish, you know, that gets a little disheartening.

"But, the good thing was, they stayed together and they kept going forward."

Hoke says he understands fan frustration with the recent result on the field, but he says his main focus continues to be on his locker room and his players.

The players themselves echoed Hoke's thoughts on their own.

"Fans don't see what we do at Schembechler Hall, they don't know what we do behind the scenes," Michigan senior linebacker Jake Ryan said. "They don't know how much work we've put in for this season.

"I'm confident in this team. I have all the confidence in the world in this offense and this defense. We're going to step up and this is going to be a great season."

Michigan entered the year preaching change. Change in offensive philosophy under Doug Nussmeier, change in defensive attitude and a change with team chemistry overall.

The players returned to the practice field Sunday night, and were back in the building again Monday.

And despite the horrific loss, they say nothing has changed inside the program.

They're still going to fight for one another, and they're not going to worry about what anyone else says or thinks.

"The fans ... our job is to do what we have to do for our team first," Michigan senior defensive end Frank Clark said. "And we're going to make sure we do what we have to do."

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