When Sherman Timbs sacked Tulsa quarterback Zach Smith during the Armed Forces Bowl game on New Year’s Eve, there was no doubt that he belonged on Mississippi State’s defense.
For the Bulldogs, that sack kept the Hurricanes out of the end zone and helped secure a 28-26 upset on New Year’s Eve, but for Timbs, it was also the payoff for all the hard work he had invested since he arrived in Starkville as a true freshman in 2017.
“It was eye-opening for sure,” the Indianola Academy graduate told a group of reporters during a press conference prior to Mississippi State’s Maroon and White game that was played this past Saturday.
“All the hard work finally paying off and having something to show for it. That’s all everybody asks me about now, that one play. It’s surreal though, having that happen.”
Timbs made his first appearance in a game in 2018 against Stephen F. Austin. That was his lone appearance that year.
In 2019, however, he played in all 13 contests for the Bulldogs.
He recorded his first tackle against SEC opponent Tennessee that season.
In 2020, as State navigated COVID-19 protocols, opportunities began to open up for players like Timbs, who found himself playing in 10 games and on the national stage in a bowl game in December.
Timbs told reporters last week that he began working at the outside linebacker position around the time of the Egg Bowl in 2020.
“They started working me in there and kind of stuck with it since then,” he said.
Last Saturday, Timbs took snaps with team White in the Maroon & White game, the winning team by a score of 30-22.
Timbs recorded two assists in the scrimmage.
