First of all that was an incredible crowd. It was packed with 10,000 +. I don't know about yall but to score over a 197 week one missing normal starters in each of the rotations while not competing full difficulty is absolutely mind blowing to me. LSU also had 4 true freshman competin for the very first time. LSU was missing Edney on 3 of the events as a precaution for her ankle. Desiderio was held out on floor just to play safe. Ruby wasn't even in the vault lineup.

Alabama and Florida opened the season tonight in the 195's For reference, LSU started the season in 2016 with a sub 197 score, and they were a full healthy team. There is a lot to be excited about, this team is the real deal and will be scary once we are much healthier and once certain people gain more reps

Vault:

This was an extremely odd night on this rotation. LSU was without Ruby harrold and Edney on this event. DD went full out conservative here just for this weekend. Priessman competed a full and stuck it earning a 9.900. Julianna competed a full with nice form, she just needs more reps. Nerves were an issue for true freshman Edwards, but she still scored over a 9.800. I've seen her stick it many times in practice. Edwards will be in the 9.9's very soon. She is an all american in the making on this event. Finnegan competed a full but is expected to showcase her 1 1/2 very soon. Myia had an extremely uncharacteristic fall, she was trying way too hard.

Bars:

I knew after seeing this team on bars this week that this team can easily be best in the country. LSU tied the school record on bars on week one. The major treat was true freshman Sami Durante who had an absolutely perfect routine but was ripped off by her scoring, scored a 9.875. It was clearly about a 9.95, judges don't like to hand out major scores to the first person up. It was a stick fest on the event as everyone essentially stuck their dismounts. Ruby impressed with a stuck landing. Edney tied her career high with a 9.95. 4 of the 6 scores were 9.900 or more.

Beam:

LSU competed a lot of new faces on this event. But their were a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes that we never usually see. Erin had a rough night and had some major bobbles on her routine. Myia was off in her series. Desiderio was flawless with every hard part of her routine but had a couple slight bobbles on the easy stuff. Desiderio will be fantastic for us soon. Campbell is still not fully healthy and let nerves hit her this week. We saw some uncharacteristic bobbles from her but she will be back next week. She truly is good enough to win a national title on beam.

Floor:

I was shocked when I saw the lineup based on the stuff I've seen in practice. But wow, Kirby is the real deal, she is something special. A lot of raw power. I see upgrades in her future. Erin was extremely out of control on floor. Ruby is a major concern for me on floor. She lacks consistency with her first pass. True freshman Sarah Edwards was a complete shock. She was a work in progress but DD rolled the dice and we saw some serious potential. If she hits her second pass she probably earns a 9.900. I think if Edwards can continue to build, she could be a major contender for that last spot. Extremely powerful and capable of so much. Desiderio was held out on this event for precaution. LSU will be special on this event once Edney and Desiderio are in it in full strength. Add in Kirby, LSU has 5 spots who can put up some major scores. I am actually extremely optimistic about what we can do on floor.

Overall, this was an impressive performance to open the season, there is a lot of youth and people still trying to be back in full shape. LSU will continue to improve each week and develop the freshman. LSU is every bit as talented as years past. A lot to be excited about. LSU hits the road and travels to Florida next week. I am pumped.

This post was edited on 1/5/18 at 11:53 pm