Penn State RBs Singleton, Allen cook on and off the field

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Given that Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton have learned to live together as college buddies, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that they’ve also managed to share duties on the field.

“I do my thing, he does his thing,” Singleton said, adding that neither is really the boss of the house. “We always look out for each other. That’s my brother.”

It’s an unselfish recipe that has gotten better with time and playcalling that helps propel the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). That has allowed them to stay fresh and healthy through what is a grueling 12-team playoff that will require Penn State to play an unprecedented 17 games to win the school’s first national title since 1986.

Their different skill sets have complemented each other, with Singleton’s speed a threat for momentum-swinging plays like the 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed the 31-14 victory against Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. However, Allen is a physical runner. Penn State coach James Franklin said he calls “Fatman.” (His mother gave him the nickname.)

On New Year’s Eve, the roommates combined for 221 yards, the most rushing yards the Broncos have allowed to two running backs in a game this season. With their performance against the Broncos, Allen and Singleton both surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season, becoming the first duo in school history to reach the mark in the same season. Allen finished with 134 rushing yards against Boise State and was the first player to pass the Broncos’ Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty in a game this season.

“I think Kaytron is a really patient running back,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for the vision he has. You see him make some cuts out on the field that you don’t even know how he sees or how he feels. … He won’t be shy away from contact He’s always trying to provoke contact and punish the defenders.”

“Nick, obviously his quickness comes into play when you get him in space,” Allar said. “He can really go the distance at any point in the game. For him, it’s been cool to see his development as a pass catcher. Obviously, he’s had a lot of catches for us this year and touchdowns in key situations. I think the one thing know both of them, they both have pass protection. They’re really smarter about our pass protection game and do a great job of helping me and giving me enough time to get the ball downfield to our playmakers.”

Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said both backs have taken pieces of each other’s games and continued to learn and adapt. Allen, from Norfolk, Virginia, attended IMG Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, known for its athletic training and facilities. A native of Shillington, Pennsylvania, Singleton attended Governor Mifflin High School, where he was the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year, but he still had a work ethic “like he was a walk-on.” Seider said Allen took a little bit of that devotion from Singleton, while Singleton learned more study skills from Allen, like how to watch film.

“Kaytron coming in was more of a natural runner at IMG,” Seider said. “Nick had to work hard because he came from a different offense. They just run a toss sweep and just run by everybody with speed and power. And then Kaytron learned from Nick how to speed it up a little bit.”

Both learned to incorporate more out of zone and get into space from first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who said his first order of business when hired was to diversify their skills.

“Nick and Kaytron needed to improve ways to get the football without just taking a handoff from the quarterback. So what does that look like? Well, when you move around, put both down the field, ask you different things, it’s just like a receiver.

“Then you make a commitment in the offseason — go catch balls,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there, run these routes. You can’t have them run all the same routes the receivers run, because then they become a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. They have to focus on what they’re doing Like, here’s a little set of routes that they can run that they have to do and then we emphasize that we train it over and over because it’s not like they have to go out there and replace receivers during the game, but they will complement them.”

Singleton was targeted 46 times this season and has 39 catches for 342 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry. catch, and 8.21 yards after the catch. Singleton ranks as no. 14 in the country with a reception rate of 84.8%.

The question is whether Singleton and Allen can continue their success for two more games.

“There were times during the season where they both got beat up at certain points,” Franklin said. “But the last couple of weeks, they’ve been as healthy as they’ve been all year, and I think it showed that way on film, and statistically, the last two weeks.”