OXFORD — For Ashanti Cistrunk, the Egg Bowl is personal.

On a team loaded with transfer portal players from all over the country, Cistrunk is a bit of a rarity — a Mississippi-born, original signee playing a huge role for Ole Miss.

Cistrunk, a senior linebacker from Louisville, Miss., won’t need any extra motivation Thursday night when the 12th-ranked Rebels (9-2 overall, 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference) head to Starkville to face Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6) in the regular season finale for both teams (6:30 p.m., ESPN).

“Every year, I get so excited to play this game,” Cistrunk said. “Especially growing up, Mississippi State was the team I watched every Saturday. So on top of that, I have a family member (playing for MSU) and I know a lot of the guys, so it’s a big-time game for me.”

The family member, Mississippi State sophomore defensive lineman Ty Cooper, is also from Louisville, which makes for plenty of opportunities for conversation.

“We argue every day about this game,” Cistrunk said. “We just argue every day about this game.”

Over the past year, Cooper has owned bragging rights. The Bulldogs knocked off the Rebels last November, 24-22, in Oxford, ending Ole Miss’ chances at a New Year’s Day bowl game. This year, the Rebels can get to 10 wins, keep their New Year’s Six bowl hopes alive and likely move into the top 10 nationally with a win over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, who fired coach Zach Arnett earlier this month, can both play spoiler and also earn bowl eligibility with w a victory.

“As everybody knows, you hear about this for the whole year, so it left a bad taste in our mouth,” said Cistrunk, who enters Thursday’s game with 28 tackles, 2.5 quarterback sacks and an interception. “We’ve had to hear about it all the time. So this game, I’m looking forward to getting that taste out of our mouths.

“I describe it as a a war, literally. Don’t take it lightly. The fans don’t take it lightly. Don’t joke about it. This is a serious moment.”

Mississippi State defeated Southern Miss Saturday, 41-20, aided by the return of quarterback Will Rogers. Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright has also played a big role for the Bulldogs this season.

“We have game-planned both quarterbacks equally,” Cistrunk said. “Will Rogers, being in, it doesn’t change much. They have a lot of dynamic playmakers over there, like No. 7, Jo'Quavious Marks, he’s a good kid. Tulu Griffin, No. 1, all those guys are good kids. We’re just trying to figure out how they’re trying to get them the ball.”