You guys are reading too much into the statement. You have to remember that he's got to stay consistent with what he's communicating to the players. It wouldn't matter if he had top 10 talent, the message to the team is always going to be that they have to win with details and preparation.
Besides, he has and will continue to improve the talent at ISU, but his goals are always going to be well above that talent level, so that message is never changing. It doesn't mean he thinks he can never get enough talent here to win consistently or win conference titles.
In some ways it's like basketball coaches always harping on defense, yet everybody knows that a great scorer's going to play.
I'd classify the Campbell era as winning DESPITE sucking pretty hard on the margins. Winning on the margins is getting outgained by 100 yards but winning because you win special teams, turnovers, and penalty battles. That hasn't been this team.
I'm annoyed as anyone with the sloppy play followed by coachspeak. But watching Campbell's teams line up and belong on the field against Oklahoma and Texas, and not need some ******** miracle day like being on the receiving end of 8 TOs to beat a mediocre Nebraska team is pretty stark. Not to say Rhoads didn't have some legit good games - Okie St., at TTU, at TCU, but for the most part they needed to play really clean games to win. The McCarney era was similar - some good games and good teams, but mostly had to be really on the right side of the TO and penalty battle to have a chance against ranked teams.
The past 5-6 games have been frustrating and alarming. But improving a program doesn't happen linearly.