Cowboys coach Garrett headlines LSU Coaching Clinic

Jason Garrett, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, headlines this year's LSU Football Coaching Clinic.

The three-day event begins March 31 on the LSU campus.

Garrett, who posted a 5-3 mark as the interim head coach of the Cowboys in 2010, had the interim tag removed on Jan. 5. Garrett is the first person in franchise history to both play for and serve as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Garrett played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1993-99, serving as the backup to Troy Aikman for three Super Bowl title teams.

The 2011 clinic includes high school state championship coaches from Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Florida.

Big Ten-bound Nebraska excited for fresh start

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska begins spring practice Saturday motivated by the challenges that await in the Big Ten and eager to forget the frustrations from its last year in the Big 12.

The preparations started right after the Holiday Bowl loss to Washington, the third loss in four games at the end of a 10-4 season.

"We can finally put it out of our minds because it's been weighing on us," safety Austin Cassidy said. "Nobody wanted to end the season like we did. It was a major disappointment. Everyone is excited to play football and put that behind us."

Coach Bo Pelini and his returning assistants immersed themselves in film of their new opponents. The inaugural schedule pits the Cornhuskers against Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State teams ranked in the top 15 at the end of 2010. There are back-to-back trips to Penn State and Michigan, and a visit from border rival Iowa, too.

"We just more or less broke them down as if we were playing them next week," defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. "We looked at their run games, their pass games. We did that prior to putting our playbook together just to make sure we accounted for everything we need to account for."