It’s barely even August, but football is officially back, folks. And although the NFL doesn’t kick off its season until September 9, some Nittany Lions are already making waves in the first preseason game of the year.

Former Penn State football stars like Micah Parsons, Marcus Allen, Connor McGovern, and Lamont Wade made appearances in the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys Thursday night.

We don’t blame you if rusty preseason football isn’t your thing. To keep you up to speed, we recapped all the Penn State-related action you might’ve missed out on.

Micah Parsons

It had been 586 days since Parsons last played a football game, but he picked up right where he left off Thursday night.

Just four minutes in, the rookie linebacker immediately made his presence felt by recovering a loose ball on the Steelers’ first drive of the game.

Parsons also had a team-high three tackles through the first two series and was on the field for 11 of 12 snaps. That was all the playing time he got, however, as both teams quickly cycled their reserve players into the game for much-needed reps.

To the likely delight of many Penn State fans and lettermen, Parsons donned classic black shoes along with his blue-and-white Cowboys uniform. Basic blues, however, remain to be seen.

Connor McGovern

McGovern, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2019 draft, started at right guard for Dallas in Zack Martin’s absence. He’ll likely compete for first- and second-team playing time at center and guard throughout the rest of the team’s preseason.

McGovern had a string of impressive drives, holding strong and piecing together some nice blocks in his limited playing time.

Marcus Allen

Allen, who is completing his switch from safety to linebacker, saw a solid chunk of snaps with Pittsburgh’s defense.

Allen’s history in the secondary naturally makes him a great pass defender on the front seven, and it showed Thursday when he registered a pass deflection. His smaller build might make the linebacker position a tough fit for him, but he made some plays for the Steelers and finished with two tackles.

Lamont Wade

Wade saw some playing time for his hometown Steelers despite going undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft. He entered the game in the third quarter and logged two solo tackles by being in the right place at the right time. The safety also played a solid chunk of special teams snaps.

While it’s not clear if coverage was broken due to the scheme or Wade’s read, he was burnt by wide receiver Aaron Parker for a 36-yard gain. However, the Nittany Lion was able to make a nice open-field tackle to prevent the touchdown.

Overall, Wade made an impressive impact on the field amongst the other guys fighting for roster spots.

Pat Freiermuth

Newly-minted Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth’s NFL debut will need to wait for now since a shoulder injury sustained during practice held him out of the Hall of Fame Game. This injury appears to be to his left shoulder, which is not the one he had season-ending surgery on in 2020.