Penn State RBs Singleton and 'Fatman' cooking on and off the field

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Considering Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton have learned to live together as college roommates, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that they've managed to divide the chores on the field, too.

"I cook my stuff, he cooks his stuff," Singleton said, adding that neither one of them is really the boss of the house. "We always look out for each other. That's my brother."

It's a selfless recipe that has improved with time and playcalling, helping propel the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). It 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 in order to win the school's first national title since 1986.

Their varying 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 win against Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. Allen, though, 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 allowed two running backs in a game this season. With their performances 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 outrush 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 that 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 those. ... He will not shy away from the contact. He's always trying to induce contact and punish the defenders."

"Nick, obviously, his speed comes to mind when you get him out in space," Allar said. "He can really take it the distance at any point in the game. For him, it's been cool to see his evolution 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, they both have the pass protection. They are really clued in on our pass protection game and do a great job of helping me out and giving me enough time to deliver the ball down the field 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, went to IMG Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, renowned for its athletic training and facilities. Singleton, a native of Shillington, Pennsylvania, went to 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 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 being at IMG," Seider said. "Nick had to work hard because he came from a different offense. They just run a toss sweep and just outrun everybody with speed and power. And then Kaytron learned from Nick how to speed it up a little bit."

Both of them learned how to incorporate more outside zone and get into space from first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who said his first task when he was hired was to diversify their skill sets.

"Nick and Kaytron needed to improve on ways to get the football without just taking a handoff from the quarterback. So what does that look like? Well, moving around, putting both in the field, asking you different things, it's just like a receiver.

"Then you make a commitment in the offseason -- go catch balls," he said. "You need to go out there, run these routes. You can't have them run all the same routes that receivers run, because then they become a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. They need to focus on what they're doing. Like, here's a small set of routes that they can run, that they need to do, and then we emphasize that, we train it over and over again, because it's not like they're going to go out there and replace the receivers during the game, but they're going to supplement them."

Singleton was 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 No. 14 in the country with an 84.8% reception rate.

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

"There were some times during the season where both of them were banged up at certain points," Franklin said. "But these last couple of weeks, they have been as healthy as they have been all year long, and I think it showed up that way on film, and statistically the last two weeks."