Ohio State Football: Luke Fickell Takes First Step out of Jim Tressel's Shadow

Luke Fickell's first game as head coach of the Buckeyes could not have gone any better. The offense looked crisp and the defense stout, as OSU routed an overmatched Akron team 42-0.

For a program that had been in disarray ever since the calendar flipped to 2011, the opener could not have gone any better.

The school has tried to distance itself from Jim Tressel after his disgraceful exit from the job Fickell now possesses.

Fickell, with his first win under his belt, has started to show that he will not be like Tressel in several different ways.

One way, is he will be dealing with the return of Jordan Hall, Corey Brown, Travis Howard and Jordan Whiting from their one-game suspensions. Although Hall and Howard are sure starters, Fickell has come out and said that they will need to earn their starting jobs back.

That alone is quite a difference from Tressel, who reserved spots for players coming off injuries or suspensions.

It shows his players that if you miss time through suspensions, you need to earn your way back into the starting lineup. That could make players think twice about making a poor choice, especially if they are in a tight battle like at the running back position.

Carlos Hyde, who looked very strong in last week's win, will start again. And Jaamal Berry, who is coming off a hamstring injury, should play as well.

The other big deviation from Tressel was a more aggressive approach to some game situations.

Ohio State had a fourth-and-one inside the Akron red zone in the first half. A year ago, they would've likely kicked a field goal. Under Fickell, however, they went for the first down and eventually scored a touchdown on the drive.

It seemed as if the Buckeyes were trying to score touchdowns, instead of playing for field goals, which Tressel did from time to time.

While it's only one game and we might need more time to learn more about how Fickell coaches, it's clear he is not Tressel in some areas—and that's a good thing.

Fickell needs to be his own coach, and Saturday's game against Toledo is another step in the right direction to get the fans past the era of Tressel.

Whether or not Fickell is the man for the job after this season, the thing that is clear is he is a new man, with a new philosophy.

Fickell will be a good head coach wherever he ends up.

For more college football updates, follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.