Rambling thoughts, and a question

Predictably, and most fortunately, Sherrone is the new head coach.  Frankly, had it been ANYONE else, it would have been a bigger cause for "rebellion" than had Bo hired someone other than Steve Fisher after the 1989 hoops natty.  And get this: I've seen [b.s.] sites saying it could be...BRIAN KELLY!!!   Obviously someone needs to check what they were smoking...

Sadly, Jimbo's taking Jesse Minter with him.  Two best defensive coordinators (Mike Mac and Jess) we've had in my half-century of Maize and Blue blood.  Oh well...hey coach Harbaugh---as in JOHN---any more you can send us????

My question deals with rules.  All of you shat as many bricks as I during Jake Thaw's ever-so-close act of handing Bama the game. (And a second question---WHY OH WHY does anyone call FC on his own FIVE-YARD line, rather than clearing away from the ball, with only a minute in regulation???)

But here's the real inquiry: had Jake's accidental (I hope) backhanded batting of the ball goalward caused it to cross the line into the EZ, and HE ( not a Tidesman) fell on it there---would it be a SAFETY or a TOUCHBACK?  Granted that his bobble rendered it a LIVE BALL, but he never had possession/control of it.  Please advise...

To a man, I'm prone to believe it would have been a game-losing SAFETY, for the simple reason that it was a live ball. Parallel: if a QB pitches back to a running back from his own 4- or 5-yard line, and the pitch is bad and the running back covers it in the EZ, it IS a safety....right?

I thought I read somewhere that as long as he had possession, the ball would go back to the one, I'm not sure why but I read that from someone who professed to know the rules.