Football and the couch at Vincent Brown's house are a winning combination.

"When I was a kid I used to sit down with my dad and watch the games," said Brown, San Diego State's standout junior wide receiver. "And he would break down the game for me and tell me why the receiver did this, why he did that. He told me I could be out there one day if I wanted to."

The elder Vincent Brown chuckles. He said it's true and hopefully his lessons pay off Saturday when the Aztecs travel to Colorado State for a Mountain West Conference game.

SDSU's Brown goes by the name "V.J.," and we will follow suit. He's Vincent Junior and he couldn't be happier about being Senior's son. Football supplies a steel-like bond between the two.

"I'm so proud of him, and it's great to see him have this college experience,'' Brown Sr. said.

Added V.J.: "I learned so much from my dad."

Those tracking V.J. are getting an education as well ---- in how to defend one of college football's leading receivers.

The Aztecs (2-4, 0-2) figure to lean on V.J. as they go for their third straight win at Fort Collins, Colo., seeking to give the Rams (3-4, 0-3) their fifth consecutive loss.

V.J. averages 129.67 receiving yards per game, which ranks third in the nation. His 7.5 receptions per game rank seventh. Both marks lead the Mountain West. He has five 100-yard receiving games this season and a touchdown in all but one of SDSU's six games.

V.J. is among the Aztecs' highlights in a season filled with disappointment and growth, of heartbreak and hard work.

The Aztecs have miles to travel to become a competitive program. But they did gain something coach Brady Hoke despises ---- a moral victory ---- for their showing in last week's 38-28 loss to No. 18 Brigham Young.

One would have to be blind not to see that Hoke has instilled a dose of accountability and confidence in a program that previously had little of either.

"They're just a team that it seems like, as each week goes on, they're learning more and more about what their coaching staff wants, and you can definitely see them improve as the season's transpired," Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild said.

Brown Sr., a former wide receiver who played semipro football and had a Canadian Football League tryout, agrees.

"They are getting better and better," he said. "It may not come in V.J.'s time there, but they will be a winner."

That they might do so after V.J.'s exit is plausible, especially since his prolific statistics could endear him to NFL scouts and prompt him to skip his senior season at San Diego State.

"That is every kid's dream to go pro," Brown Sr. said. "But right now he is concentrating on one game at a time and helping the team as much as he can. At the end of the season, we'll see how things look."

According to Fairchild, it's a matter of when, not if, V.J. starts performing on Sundays.

"He is a very talented player," Fairchild said. "There is no question that he is going to play in the NFL."

The vision most rivals get is the lanky V.J. streaking down the sideline, plucking a Ryan Lindley pass from midair and gobbling up more yardage.

And with the Aztecs' running game ranking No. 119 of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, V.J. is a godsend.

That his dad molded him into a fine young man is something everyone should be thankful for.

"No. 1 is Jesus," Brown Sr. said of what he taught his son. "No. 2 is to never get the big head. Just go out and play and act like you have been in the end zone.

"He is humble; I always wanted him to be a contributor and it was never about 'I.' It's about 'We,' and he's taken that. I always stressed to him to learn from other people's mistakes, and when people watch you they can learn not from your mistakes but from what you do good."

Good advice at any level.

"He always told me not to take anything for granted,'' said V.J., who paces the Aztecs with 45 catches for 778 yards and six touchdowns. "That nobody was ever going to give me anything. That if you want to have it, you got to go get it.''

V.J.'s go-to guy has always been the man sharing his name. On Saturday, they'll share their goal of the Aztecs winning again in northern Colorado.

V.J. will see it unfold from the field.

His father will do so from ---- where else? ---- the family couch.

The Browns' TV will be turned to V.J. ---- with the NFL watching as well.