CORVALLIS - It's less than half a mile from the Shadow Hills Apartments to Reser Stadium.

But if roommates Oregon State sophomore kicker Jordan Choukair and senior punter Nick Porebski need to hustle to practice, they've found a creative item online that is sure to get the attention of onlookers around Corvallis.

Browsing Amazon during the summer, the duo found a tandem bicycle that was 50 percent off and included free shipping. Porebski said they had seen a few of the bikes around town and decided to go in on the purchase that has since made the rounds on social media and earned chuckles from teammates.

"She's a smooth ride," Porebski said.

'We ride together, we die together. Oregon State kickers for life.' 🏈



(via @Jordan_Choukair) pic.twitter.com/cEuijMXD92 — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 22, 2017

Porebski, who will hold for Choukair on field goals, will need to be in sync this season as headliners of a special teams unit that coach Gary Andersen has demanded more from in 2017.

At his Tuesday news conference, Andersen identified Porebski as a player who needed to take a jump in his last season in Corvallis. While the native Australian made the Ray Guy Award watch list for the second year in a row, he has not risen to the level of fellow ProKick Australia product Tom Hackett, a former two-time consensus All-American at Utah.

"Nick's a senior," Andersen said. "It's his third year. Just to be a good punter is not enough for Nick. He needs to be a weapon. ... We should not just have a good punt game. We should have a weapon as a punt game. That'll be the expectations for him."

The focus on Andersen's critique was the volume of touchbacks Oregon State gave to opponents last season. He said Porebski needed more air under his punts inside the 10-yard line, giving the coverage team better chances to keep the ball out of the end zone and pin opposing offenses near their own goal line.

"I think (it's) just consistency, just getting those bad balls out," Porebski said.

Unlike last year at this time, Porebski said he is healthy. Last season, he sprained the ankle of his kicking leg roughly a week before the team opener against Minnesota, an injury he said nagged him through the first month of the season.

Oregon State ranked 73rd in the nation in average punt distance last season.

Choukair - the son of former NFL kicker John Choukair - may be a familiar name to fans. He took over the starting role last season after Garrett Owens missed five of his last seven field goals in an Oregon State uniform. Owens has since transferred to Iowa State.

The season-opener Saturday at Colorado State will not mark Choukair's first foray onto the field. But he only got one field goal attempt last season, drilling a 20-yarder on a warm evening in the Rose Bowl against UCLA.

"It was nice to get my feet wet," Choukair said.

Like Porebski, Choukair said it's nice finally be healthy. He dealt with a back injury during his short time in college but has since built his strength to the point that he feels comfortable kicking from as far as 55 yards out - up from 50 last season. Five of Owens' seven misses last year were from 45 yards or longer.

"I know anybody at this level is good enough to do it; it's whether you can mentally do it," Choukair said. "That, I feel comfortable with."

Choukair and sophomore Zach Standish will share kickoff duties since OSU catcher Adley Rutschman elected to focus his full attention on baseball.

Additionally, Andersen said long snapper Connor Kelsey has dramatically improved since last year, as the position had been area of concern entering fall camp.

-- Danny Moran