They’ve done it again, folks.

Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton ran to the tune of 29 carries for 221 yards and one touchdown in the Penn State football’s 31-14 Fiesta Bowl victory over Boise State on Tuesday. Allen led the way with 134 yards on 17 carries and Singleton sealed the game with a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Considering stats, performances, the strength of competition, and the magnitude of these games, this three-game stretch is the most dominant stretch of Allen and Singleton’s Penn State careers.

The duo has had impressive stretches in the past, but at a time when the Nittany Lions are pushing for a national championship, the Lawn Boyz are playing the best football of their three years donning the blue and white.

“I know there was a ton of conversations about Mr. [Ashton] Jeanty, and deservedly so from Boise. He earned that type of conversation, but I’d make the argument we’ve got the best duo in all of college football,” James Franklin said Saturday.

Since playing Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game, Singleton and Allen have a combined 78 carries for 610 yards and five touchdowns at a 7.8 yards per carry clip. During that time, Penn State has played the No. 39, No. 7, and No. 31-ranked run defenses. They also have 11 receptions for 93 yards and a score out of the backfield.

Although Singleton and Allen weren’t consistently dominant throughout the season, they’ve hit their strides at the perfect time.

In recent years, the college football national champion has leaned on a consistent rushing attack, coupled with a suffocating defense on the other side. Last year, Michigan was just that, averaging 169.1 rush yards and allowing 247 total yards on defense per game.

The year before that, Georgia rushed for 205.3 yards per game and allowed 296.8 total yards per game on defense, and the Bulldogs did the same thing in 2021, averaging 191.2 rush yards and allowing 268.5 total yards per game.

This year, Penn State averages 202.2 rush yards and allows 288.8 total yards per game.

“Their offense creates a challenge,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “They run the ball. Probably built similar to us in terms of the way they’ve had success.”

One thing Penn State does that Notre Dame struggles with is using the running game to open up the pass game. For the Nittany Lions, this has created a symbiotic relationship within the offense.

Like Penn State, the Fighting Irish have a top rushing attack, ranking 15th in the category. However, Andy Kotelnicki’s rushing attack ranks 18th and 58th in passing offense versus Notre Dame’s 109th passing attack.

“The running backs have helped a lot,” deep threat receiver Omari Evans said. “Knowing that the safety wants to come down to support the run, that gives the receivers enough time to run right behind them. So I give a lot of thanks to the running backs for helping the passing game.”

For the running backs, the feelings are mutual. Against Boise State, Evans stunned the Broncos’ defense with a 38-yard touchdown on Penn State’s second drive of the game and the run game benefited.

“It helps us a lot, too,” Singleton said. “They’re not stacking the box up. No safety is down, they’ve got to respect the pass because we’ve got great receivers that can go down the field and catch the ball.”

The Fighting Irish have a similar run defense to Boise State and Oregon on paper, allowing 128.2 yards per game as 34th in the country. But Notre Dame has a top-five pass defense and utilizing the run-pass balance with Allen and Singleton will be imperative for the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl.

“We have a pass game, we have a run game, we have a lot of different things you have to defend and that, obviously, is going to help us and be able to let us do a lot of different things,” Tyler Warren said. “It’s been great. I think this is as good a time as any for them to be playing the way they have been. So it’s been awesome to be able to block for them.”