SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Considering Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton learned to live together as college roommates, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that they’ve also managed to handle on-field duties to divide.

“I cook my stuff, he cooks his stuff,” Singleton said, adding that neither of them is actually the boss of the house. “We always look out for each other. This is my brother.”

It’s a selfless recipe that has improved with time and play and helped propel the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals at Capital One Orange on Jan. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Reach bowl. This has allowed them to stay fresh and healthy through the grueling 12-team playoffs, which 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 providing a threat on sweeping plays like the 58-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that sealed Tuesday’s 31-14 win over Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. However, Allen is a physical runner. Penn State coach James Franklin said he calls him “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 performances against the Broncos, Allen and Singleton each surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season, becoming the first duo in school history to reach that mark in the same season. Allen finished the game against Boise State with 134 rushing yards and became 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 his vision. You see him make some cuts on the field that you don’t even know how he sees them or how he feels them. … He’s not going to shy away.” He’s always trying to initiate contact and punish defenders.

“Of course what comes to mind is how fast Nick is when you put him in space,” Allar said. “He can really go the distance at any point in the game. It was cool for him 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 about both of them is that they both have pass protection. They know our pass protection game very well and help me greatly by giving me enough time to get the ball down the field to our playmakers. “

Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said both backs picked up parts 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. Singleton, a native of Shillington, Pennsylvania, attended Governor Mifflin High School, where he was the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year, but still brought a work ethic “like he was a walk-on.” Seider said Allen picked up some of that dedication from Singleton, while Singleton learned more study skills from Allen, like watching film.

“Kaytron’s entry into IMG was more of a natural runner,” Seider said. “Nick had to work hard because he came from a different offense. They simply performed a toss sweep and outran everyone with speed and power. And then Kaytron learned from Nick how to speed it up a little.”

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

“Nick and Kaytron had to improve their ability to get the football without simply taking a handoff from the quarterback. So what does that look like? Well, moving around, getting both of them on the field, asking you different things, it’s just like being a receiver.” .

“Then you make a commitment in the offseason — go catch balls,” he said. “You have to go out there and run those routes. You can’t allow them to all run the same routes as the receivers because then they become jacks of all trades and masters of none. What they do is, for example, a small selection of routes that they can run, that they have to do, and then we emphasize that, we train it over and over again, because it’s not like that They’ll go out there and swap receivers during the game, but you’ll complement them.

Singleton has been targeted 46 times this season and has 39 catches for 342 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 8.7 yards per catch and 8.21 yards after the catch. Singleton ranks 14th in the country with an 84.8% acceptance rate.

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

“There were a few moments throughout the season where both of them were broken in certain spots,” Franklin said. “But the last couple of weeks they’ve been as healthy as they’ve been all year, and I think that’s shown that way both on film and statistically over the last two weeks.”