Ole Miss defensive tackle Jerrell Powe went home last Christmas break and talked — a lot — about the Rebels' 45-0 win over Mississippi State.

He also went home during spring break and over the summer, talking a little more. There was so much to reminisce about, after all. His team had recorded a record 11 sacks. And then there was Powe's role in that relentless pursuit of the quarterback, finishing with 1.5 sacks and an interception in his breakout game.

All that talk means one thing: Powe needs the No. 20 Rebels to win the Egg Bowl on Saturday.

"There's definitely a lot of motivation because I was talking a lot of trash," he joked.

Powe isn't the only one talking about the most important game within the game as the Rebels (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) and Bulldogs (4-7, 2-5) meet for the 106th time. Just like last season, the outcome likely hinges on how well Mississippi State's offensive line can handle Ole Miss' defensive front.

It was a knockout last season with the Rebels hurrying and hitting Bulldogs quarterbacks nearly every time they dropped back to pass in the most lopsided loss in 37 years.

"It was awful," Mississippi State center J.C. Brignone said. "(We) kind of started pointing fingers. But that was last year. That was the old team. This is the new team and a new offensive line as a whole. That's why we worked so hard this summer picking up our stuff and getting to know each other and feeling each other. You can see we've done so well."

Under first-year coach Dan Mullen Mississippi State's offensive line has transformed itself from a lumbering liability into a lean unit that clears the way for the nation's No. 12 rushing attack. And the Bulldogs have cut their sacks allowed per game in half from three to 1.6.

Ole Miss defensive end Kentrell Lockett can see the difference in film study and it's pretty simple. He noted the Bulldogs rushed 55 times last week at Arkansas and threw just 13.

"They tried to pass a lot (last season) and we were just coming through and taking advantage of their weaknesses," Lockett said. "But now when you watch film, they don't throw the ball as much. So we might not get as many chances as we did last year to get that pass rush and to get that sack."

The line was dominant against the run, too. And even though the Rebels have lost Peria Jerry to the NFL and Greg Hardy to injury, the line remains one of the nation's best. Ole Miss is first in the SEC in tackles for loss (7.6) and sacks (2.9) per game and the line fuels the nation's No. 19 defense.

If Ole Miss can put together another feeding frenzy like last year's, the Rebels will likely clinch second in the SEC West and No. 3 overall in the league, guaranteeing the prime pick of non-BCS bowls, and the first consecutive nine-win seasons since 1961-62.

"It was definitely good for the defensive line, especially when you see a defensive lineman get a sack," Powe said. "You can be the most tired person in the game, but the next play you feel like it was your first play. It was big to see guys on the defensive line make sack after sack."

Today’s game at a glance

- Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville.

- Kickoff: 11:21 a.m.

- Television: SEC Network; live streaming at ESPN360.com

- Radio: MSU network; Ole Miss Network; XM Channels 199, 200; Sirius Channels 213, 214.

- Records: Ole Miss 8-3 (4-3 SEC), MSU 4-7 (2-5).

- Series: Ole Miss leads 60-39-6.

- 2008: Ole Miss won 45-0 in Oxford, racking up a school-record 11 sacks.

- Coaches – Ole Miss: Houston Nutt 128-77 overall (17th year), 17-7 at Ole Miss (second year); MSU: Dan Mullen 4-7 (first year).

- Statistical leaders – Ole Miss: QB Jevan Snead 161-299-14, 2,189 yards, 17 TDs; RB/WR Dexter McCluster 131-903, 6 TDs rushing, 34-412, 2 TDs receiving; WR Shay Hodge 57-927, 7 TDs; FS Kendrick Lewis 71 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 9 breakups; DE Kentrell Lockett 30 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks. MSU: QB Tyson Lee 125-212-13, 1,392 yards, 4 TDs; RB Anthony Dixon 228-1,258, 11 TDs; QB Chris Relf 61-369, 1 TD rushing; LB Jamar Chaney 88 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 INTs; DE Pernell McPhee 51 tackles, 12.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks.

- Trends: The home team has won each of the last five meetings. … McCluster is averaging 184.8 yards rushing over the Rebels’ last four SEC games. … Dixon has seven 100-yard games this season; he had nine over his first three years. … Ole Miss has won in Starkville just three times since the series returned to campus sites in 1991.

- Notes: This is the 106th meeting between the schools, and it’s the eighth-longest uninterrupted series in the country (92 games). … MSU is 20-11-3 at home against Ole Miss. … The Rebels are the least-penalized team in the SEC, with 57 penalties for 41.5 yards per game. … Dixon needs 126 yards to break J.J. Johnson’s single-season school rushing record.

- Summing it up: “Dudes on their side, some of them know us, and it’s going to be a meeting that we ain’t going to forget. We’re definitely going to be talking about it after the fact, a few years down the line.” – MSU running back Anthony Dixon

- NEMS Daily Journal Prediction: Ole Miss, 28-19.

More on the Egg Bowl:

Click here for Memories of 2008 beatdown still fresh for Miss. State Click here for Rival runners will be primary focus for Ole Miss and Miss. State Click here for coaches quickly grasp importance of state clash Click here for Brad Locke's blog on Miss. State football. Follow @bradlocke on Twitter. Click here for Parrish Alford's blog on Ole Miss football. Follow @parrishalford on Twitter. Poll Results

What will happen in Saturday’s game?

Big Ole Miss win 46%

Close Ole Miss win 20%

Big MSU win 5%

Close MSU win 29%

Above poll was from NEMS360.com this week. More than 1,000 NEMS360.com users voted Read more on the game, including each team's three keys to victory, in GameDay inside today's NEMS Daily Journal newspaper.