Last month, assistant athletic director for football Tim Bourret came into Mike Reeds office at the WestZone to see if Clemson’s defensive backs coach had any numbers in regards to Mackensie Alexander.

Bourret was interested in knowing how many yards Alexander allowed after a catch, how many passes were thrown his way and other states that might be pertinent. Reed just looked at Bourret with a blank face.

“We just don’t keep stats like,” said Reed, now in his third season at Clemson.

That was okay with Bourret. He just wanted to check before he began a film study that involved him reviewing every defensive play from the 2014 season. What he discovered is why Mackensie Alexander should be on every media writers All-ACC ballot this week when they get together for the conference’s annual football kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C.

“I was shocked, really,” said Reed when he saw what Bourret had uncovered. “You don’t know something like that until it is presented to you.”

Alexander played a major role in why the Tigers led the nation in pass efficiency defense for the first time in the program’s history. Clemson allowed opponents to complete exactly 50 percent of their passes for just 5.27 yards per attempt, 10.5 yards per completion and 157.4 yards per game. The opponent efficiency rating was 98.3.

Alexander recorded 22 tackles last season, with six passes broken up, and no interceptions. They seem like okay numbers, but nothing to write home to mom about. But, when looking inside those numbers, it becomes obvious why he is considered one of the best defensive backs in the country.

Here is what Bourret discovered in his findings.

• Opponents attempted 374 passes when Alexander was on the field, but they threw to the receiver he was assigned to just 57 times. In other words, opponents threw the ball in Alexander’s area just 15 percent of the time.
• Of those 57 opportunities, the opposing receiver caught 20 passes for 280 yards. Alexander broke up six of those 57 passes, and opponents scored just two touchdowns against his coverage, none in the last nine games of the season.
• Breaking down those stats further, opponents completed just 35 percent of the passes thrown in Alexander’s direction, and averaged just 4.91 yards per attempt.
• Only one completion all year went for more than 20 yards, and opponents averaged just 1.5 catches for 21 yards per game against him. In nine of the 13 games, the opposition failed to gain more than 20 yards on pass plays to Alexander’s man.
• During a five-game winning streak against ACC teams from the NC State game through the Wake Forest game, opponents caught just one pass in 14 attempts for -2 yards against Alexander’s man.

“I know Mackensie is taking care of his business and doing what he is supposed to do, but you are telling me receivers are getting just two and four yards per catch,” Reed said. “It speaks volumes for the kid.”

After having a freshman season like he had, Reed says the key for Alexander is to continue to stay hungry.

“You don’t want to relax,” the Clemson coach said. “When you relax and someone does catch a pass over there, then it is going to open Pandora’s Box. Case in point, I had a kid that I was coaching at another university, and during his sophomore year he was picking off the ball left and right. He came back the next season, and in the first game somebody is catching a touchdown pass on him. The next thing you know, they are coming after his butt every week.

“For Mackensie, it is just about staying focused, staying grounded and continue to work like he did before.”

That should not be a problem. Alexander was known last year for staying in after every home game, sitting in Reed’s office grading his performance from that night’s game.

“He has the intangibles. He is poised, he is focused and he knows what he wants. He is very goal oriented and he will do anything possible to be able to achieve those goals,” Reed said. “It is very easy to coach someone like Mackensie. You don’t have a lot of BS to cut through. You can tell a kid exactly what you want, what he needs to hear and all of that. He wants to fix it.”

That’s why Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the country.