LB Josey Jewell ready for Rose Bowl rematch vs. Christian McCaffrey in #DENvsCAR

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Josey Jewell has seen Christian McCaffrey's game-changing ability up close.


In the 2016 Rose Bowl, Jewell's Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against McCaffrey's Stanford Cardinal at the end of Jewell's redshirt sophomore season.


McCaffrey, the eventual eighth-overall pick in the 2017 draft, quickly proved he was a dynamic player. He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass on Stanford's first play from scrimmage and later added a 63-yard punt return score.


The Heisman finalist recorded 368 total yards in Stanford's 45-16 win. Jewell, meanwhile, totaled seven tackles and an interception.


As Jewell, a 2018 fourth-round pick, prepares for a rematch several years later, he expects Sunday's matchup between McCaffrey's Panthers and his Broncos to go differently.


"Yeah, he lived up to it a little bit," Jewell said of the hype surrounding McCaffrey before the Rose Bowl. "We had a couple of plays where he had showed it off. … I think there was a couple pass routes he was on one of our safeties and did some work on them, and being able to just move in the hole and be very elusive. So, yeah, he played pretty well in that game unfortunately, but I think we'll be ready for him this time here. It should be exciting, and I think everybody's up for the challenge."


McCaffrey, who has appeared in just three games this season, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2019 as he ran for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four scores. As a running back, McCaffrey ranked second in the NFL in receptions a season ago.


"He puts up a good challenge," Jewell said. "He's a running back, but he can line up anywhere on the field. He can line up number one, number two out in wide receiver, and he can go in the backfield and do a bunch of different stuff. He's a great player, and we're just going to have to be ready for the multitude of things that he can do. I think we'll be ready for that. So, I'm just excited. … I'm just excited for the challenge again to go up against him."