Cyrus Jones didn’t flinch when asked where Alabama would be if Arkansas’ zany desperation lateral play had not ultimately yielded a victory for the Razorbacks over Ole Miss and secured the Crimson Tide’s West Division title in the Southeastern Conference.

His response: “We’re here.”

Enough said.

Alabama has again navigated the treacherous waters of a Southeastern Conference schedule and sits on the cusp of national championship No. 16. The Crimson Tide meets No. 1 and undefeated Clemson at 7:30 Monday night in a game on ESPN.

Many have pointed to the Tide’s lone loss – 43-37 in game three to Ole Miss – as the turning point for Nick Saban’s team. Jake Coker came out of the bullpen and, despite Alabama falling to the Rebels, cemented his position as starting quarterback.

“It has to do with me, the running backs, receivers … we really just got our timing down and got more comfortable playing with each other,” Coker said following practice Wednesday. “It’s been a season-long kind of thing. It’s taken a little while to where you feel a lot better now than we did week one, I’ll tell you that.”

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker throws a pass to receiver ArDarius Stewart in the Crimson Tide’s practice for the title game. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is glad to see the passing game catch up to the Crimson Tide’s running threat. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker emerged as the lead signal caller for the Crimson Tide in the team’s loss to Ole Miss and its undefeated run since. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./UA Athletics)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban provides instruction during the Crimson Tide’s practice for the national championship against Clemson. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker’s confidence with the offense and receivers have made the Crimson Tide a passing threat. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

The Alabama offensive line is having success run blocking and pass blocking to keep the sticks moving for the Crimson Tide. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban throws a pass during the Crimson Tide’s practice for the national championship against Clemson. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

Alabama has long leaned on running back Derrick Henry, whose efforts earned him the Tide’s second Heisman Trophy. Coker said the maturation of the offense – especially the passing game – has been a gradual process. He acknowledges the LSU game was when the Tide players began to get their footing.

“We came off that bye week and we were feeling real good,” he said. “We had a long time to study what LSU did and we knew what we needed to do.”

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin looks a week later to Alabama’s game against Tennessee as the true launching point. That’s when freshman Calvin Ridley and sophomore ArDarius Stewart got comfortable with Coker. Kiffin pointed to a key drive that helped the home team notch the win.

“This is a defensive team and still is a defensive team,” Kiffin said, “but they made plays to keep that drive alive for us to go down and score and eventually win the game. I kind of feel from that point we’ve taken off.”

Kiffin pointed to down-the-field impact plays, especially against Auburn, Florida and Michigan State, that made the difference. Coker saved his best for last, completing 25 of 30 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns to down the Spartans in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

“In all three of those games, there were a couple of throws downfield and a couple of plays downfield that were not made in the first half of the season,” Kiffin said. “That’s the difference in the team. We’re still the same as we always were up front. Those guys making plays downfield have changed the dynamic of the offense.”