It’s not only the number on the back of the jersey that catches the fancy of Marquay McDaniel.

“I see that toughness in him now,’’ says the tungsten-tough Calgary Stampeders slotback. “He’s not scared. When he gets the ball, he’s turning upfield, looking for contact.

“Do I see some of me in him?

“Well, he’s definitely a lot bigger and faster than I am. Athletically, he’s … gifted. Very gifted. Put it that way.

“But that same kind of toughness, yeah, I definitely see that now. I didn’t see it last year so whatever changed in him, good for him.

“He looks way better than last year.”

If Marquay McDaniel likes the cut of your pass-catching jib, that speaks volumes for a fella’s abilities and impact.

“When you have free time at home watching film or games on TV when you’re not playing, I do check out other receivers,’’ says McDaniel’s opposite number 16 on the BC Lions, Bryan Burnham. “You kinda study what other guys do, see something you maybe like and can mould into your own game.

“It definitely helps me watching guys like Marquay. Such a good receiver.

“We both have the same mindset: Go out there and try to make plays.”

BC Lions’ receiver Bryan Burnham (Photo by Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

McDaniel, of course, has become the prototype for consistency, averaging 70 snares over his five years as a Stampeder.

Burnham’s rise, this season to last, meanwhile, has been nothing short of spectacular. From 35 catches to 79, 423 yards to 1,392. From out of the generic mists to fourth in the land.

And he’ll tell you the trigger for the evolution dates back to Nov. 15, 2015, and last season’s comprehensive 35-9 West semifinal loss at McMahon Stadium and an off-handed comment made by one of the Calgary Stampeders.

“That game,’’ he says, “really motivated me going into this off-season, the best off-season I’ve ever had.

“I didn’t have a great day. I only had one catch. That’s stuck with me.

“But there was this drop towards the end of the game. I don’t remember who, but one of the guys on Calgary’s defence turned to me and said: ‘You don’t want to be great. That’s why you dropped it.’

“That really stuck with me.

“I do not remember who it was. Honestly.

“But that guy, even though he doesn’t know it, challenged me.

“I feel like that really flipped the switch.”

This season, Burnham’s unfurled a handful of miraculous catches. The man’s been defying gravity so often to bring footballs down out of the sky he should’ve been warbling the hit song of the same name from the hit Broadway musical Wicked.

“I think it’s just a will,’’ reckons Burnham. “I’ve been in situations over the years where it could’ve been my last game because I’ve had some pretty serious injuries.

“When that happens, you kind of reflect.

“It’s an old saying, I know: ‘Play every play like it’s your last.’

“But I really take that to heart.

“So every time the ball’s the air and it’s coming to me, I try to make the most of it.”

The Leos received a boost Friday when wideout Manny Arceneaux – steamrolled by Winnipeg safety Tyler Loffler during the third quarter of the West semi at B.C. Place, knocking him out of the game – practised with the first-team offence and seems now a certainty for Sunday.

“You definitely have more confidence when Manny’s in there because he demands respect,’’ says his sidekick, Burnham.

“Seeing him out there today made everybody happy. Especially the OC (offensive co-ordinator Khari Jones), because you can go ahead and call anything in the playbook and that gives everyone a lot of confidence.”

Arceneaux’s availability means another 105 catches, 1,566 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Stampeder secondary to ponder.

“There ain’t no surprises,’’ says Calgary cornerback Tommie Campbell. “We know who we’re going up against.

“When they catch the ball, we have to make sure we make the tackle and limit big gains. That’s the key with them. They take 5-to-10-yard balls and turn them into 40 yards.

“And we’ve got to eliminate the deep balls when (Jonathan) Jennings scrambles. We like the outcome of the game if we stop those things.”

Stamps receiver Marquay McDaniel (Photo by David Moll)

Much pre-kickoff has been bandied about regarding the relative merits of Rest (Calgary’s) vs. Momentum (BC’s).

All Burnham knows is that the way in which the Lions fought to erase a 25-6 deficit a week ago to beat the Bombers 32-31 has them brimming with self-belief.

“That,’’ he says, “was one of the those games we needed. We’d been in situations this year where we’d been down, clawed almost all the way back and then just couldn’t get it done in those last couple minutes.

“This time, we did.

“That gives us a whole of confidence because this game is not going to be easy. It’s going to be harder than last week. Knowing we can come together and get it done at crunch time is big.

“Calgary deserves every bit of credit they get. They got it done. Internally, though, we know what we’re capable of. We play with that little bit of a chip on our shoulders ’cause that’s what it’s felt like going into Calgary the last few years – the powerhouse of the CFL.

“I truly believe we’re the only team that can beat them.”

In a game overflowing with offensive flares, two slots that pay out far more frequently than anything to be found ka-chinging in the casinos of Vegas or Reno, are going to each have their say.

“Both guys,’’ says Stamps safety Josh Bell, when asked for comparisons, “aren’t afraid to go over the middle. They’re fearless. Willing to make catches in traffic.

“Man, I know a lot of the talk centres around Manny and DaVaris, those big-play guys on the outside. And they deserve it.

“But don’t forget about those two 16s. Whoever loses track of either of them could be awful sorry.”

Marquay McDaniel or Bryan Burnham.

Which will be the Sweetest 16 come Sunday? Much is bound to hinge on the answer.