DURHAM, NC – North Carolina fans should believe in the football program, Tar Heels’ coach Larry Fedora said after Saturday’s 42-35 loss at Duke. They should believe in the team and its future because he does.

The Tar Heels are now 1-8 on the season (1-6 in the ACC), and coupled with last year’s 3-9 mark and the way the 2016 campaign closed, UNC has lost 20 of its last 25 games. Naturally, the fans aren’t happy, so Fedora was asked following Carolina's third consecutive loss to the Blue Devils what he has to say to fans whose support might be dwindling because of the trajectory of the program.

“I’d say if they’re fans and they’re supporters they know to stick then (the players),” Fedora said. “I shouldn’t have to talk you into it. It’s the Tar Heels, and if you’re a fan of the Tar Heels and you’re a supporter of the Tar Heels, you’re blood is blue, there’s no question about what you do. You keep supporting. These guys haven’t given up, so I don’t expect anybody to give up on them.”

Fedora rarely reveals any emotion when dealing with the media. He’s even-keeled, in part because he doesn’t often respond directly to questions. But he was a bit more impassioned Saturday. This loss clearly resonated more than most of the others.

Yet, the seventh-year UNC coach remained steadfast in his belief he and the staff are doing the right things and the results are soon to come.

“Why am I confident? That’s who I am, that’s who I am,” he said. “Nobody’s going to be able to tell me any different. I see how hard these kids work, I see their attitudes, I see their love for each other, I see how much they care.

“If I didn’t see it in their eyes and it didn’t mean as much to them then maybe I could question it, but I can’t, because I can see it, I see it in them every day.”

UNC is 44-42 under Fedora, including 28-27 in ACC play.