Behind The Bulldog Energy Award
September 04, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Through six seasons in Starkville, assistant soccer coach Kat Stratton has kept one tradition going: Big Dawg Energy.
After head coach Kevin O'Brien's first win at Mississippi State earlier this season, Stratton approached him outside the locker room to pitch the tradition and help decide the player who embodied the team's core values the most that night.
"I think one of the biggest things is that we have a standard. We call it the D.A.W.G.S. Mentality and each letter stands for a principle," Stratton said.
What makes the Big Dawg Energy award different is that it isn't solely about the stat sheet. In a game where goal scorers and statistics are what fans remember, Stratton wanted to shift the focus to performance. The award isn't reserved for goal scorers, but the players who make the biggest impact on the game even if it may be in a less obvious way.
"It's not just because you score goals. Iit's not just because you make saves," Stratton said. "I think that's the biggest thing we try to emphasize with it. It's really about the grit and the character that is built through this program."
That gritty mentality acts as an anchor for the team during the crucial week-to-week competition in the SEC. A single neck-and-neck game that ends in a tie can make a postseason difference on whether State reaches the SEC Tournament or finds itself watching from home. Stratton uses the award to encourage the players to look past the score and find a positive.
"You can find positives within the entire thing, and just because we lose, doesn't mean there's not really good performances," she said. "So we're just kind of making sure that we continue to show the positive throughout all of it."
That's not a position State has found itself in often in 2026 after starting the year 6-0-0, but it hasn't always been the case.
After the victory against Oklahoma State, the award was given to Chiara Tappe. Despite a four-goal output, Tappe was not a scorer. O'Brien described her relentless effort in the game as she played all around the pitch, winning tackles and setting the tone for the team to take the victory. While the coaches meet postgame to make the final decision as a group, the real celebration happens as a squad when the winner is announced.
"They kind of expect who it is, but they love to celebrate them," Stratton said. "I think that's one of the cool things about it as well."
On rare occasions, like the team win against Alcorn State, multiple people can earn the Big Dawg Energy award. It's been split between two players before and even given to the whole team due to the performance shown by everyone.
"They live their lives according to that standard and prepare themselves to live by that Bulldog mentality," Stratton said, showing how the roster has bought into the tradition.
