LSU Football OL Will Campbell: "It's Not a Coaching Problem. It's On Us."

Campbell opened up on the struggles in the run-game, losing streak and a players-only meeting held this week.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) warms up before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell bleeds purple and gold. The Louisiana native earned the coveted No. 7 jersey and wears it proudly as one of the leaders of the program.

But the struggles in 2024 has the Bayou State star visibly frustrated with Campbell detailing that it's on the players to turn the corner.

“We have to finish games, and that's something that we haven't done," Campbell said on Tuesday. "And it's not a coaching problem. It's not a scheme. It's none of that. It's us. We have to be able to do the little things right, and when you don't, you don't deserve to win, quite frankly."

Campbell is nearing the end of his LSU tenure and it certainly isn't the way he intended on going out.

A projected first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Campbell will likely take his talents to the next level, but he's focused on ending his time with LSU on a high note.

Campbell addressed the media on Tuesday to discuss the struggles in the run-game, a players-only meeting and more:

What He Said: Will Campbell Edition

Keeping Composure:

"We’re eager to win. Nobody around here, whether that’s people in the building or people outside the building, wants to lose. We have a good opportunity this week. We’ve got to come out and play our style of football for four quarters and get this stain off of us."

Ending the Season the Right Way:

"If you don’t win a championship here, it’s a failure. And I agree with that. But we still have a lot to play for. I mean, 6-6 is a lot worse than 8-4, so we have to go win two more games. Everybody else can doubt us. But we know what we have to do to finish this year the right way and get into a good bowl game. That’s the bottom line."

Struggles in the Rushing Attack:

"Lack of communication upfront between the five guys. We’re given the looks. It’s just something that we have to handle in the game. The coaches have put us in the right positions. It’s up to us now."

Players-Only Meeting on Monday:

"We got up and talked in front of the team. We talked in front of the offense. We had a unit meeting with the coaches. We're just talking things out, trying to get everybody on the same page because we have to have all 11 guys clicking as one to make this thing go. We've been in this situation to win a lot of games, but at the end of the day, we have to finish.

"That's the thing. When you go back and look, not a lot of people pay attention to that, but we've led going into the fourth quarter out of three of the four losses that we have. We have to finish games, and that's something that we haven't done. And it's not a coaching problem. It's not a scheme. It's none of that. It's us.

"We have to be able to do the little things right, and when you don't, you don't deserve to win, quite frankly. I think against Florida, we had 13 negative plays. Whether that's penalties, missed assignments, whatever you might call it. You don't deserve to win an SEC football game on the road in a hostile environment against a good football team with a good coaching staff. This isn't high school football. If we want to win, we have to do the little things right for four straight quarters."

LSU held a players-only meeting led by Garrett Nussmeier, Josh Williams, Greg Penn + Will Campbell.

The message was clear: Lock in, keep your chin up and finish strong.

Will Campbell: “If we want to win, we have to do the little things right for four straight quarters.” pic.twitter.com/JWtWJ4keMO

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) November 20, 2024

General Feel in the Locker Room:

"This isn't just me. You work from January to win. We lost to A&M and had a bye week, so we're going on our fifth week and it feels like we've got a cloud over our head that we have to remove ourselves. It's nothing that anybody on Twitter can say that's going to make it any better or whatever everybody's narrative wants to be."

Players Taking the Lead:

"It's on us, and it has been since the day we got here. At the end of the day, that's what we got to do. I'm not happy. Nobody in this building is happy. This is people's livelihood that you're playing with here. At the end of the day, it's our job — the people in this building — to get everybody on the same page and get everybody rolling in the same direction and go get a win this weekend."

LSU will return to action on Nov. 23 against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Tiger Stadium with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

More LSU News:

Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a "Really Bad Spot" Moving Forward

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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