So the people who say the frame material doesn't matter, "it's all about the construction and tube specs" are full of BS... because if alu frames could be safely/durably constructed to give a steel feel with less weight
I think you are taking the point about tube specs to a black and white extreme: you can make an aluminium frame that feels like steel, it just doesn't last very long. Similarly you can adjust the feel of a steel frame from over-stiff to compliant to flexy to wibbly by changing the tube dimensions.
There were a fair few MTB race frames made from 753 road tubes - they were great but fragile and only made by custom builders. Chas May built some for example. They weren't the kind of thing mass-makers would market due to product liability concerns. A custom builder would warn this in the commission sign-off.
The dimensions are more important than the material, although of course you can take them to extremes where the thing doesn't last long or is stiff but an absolute boat anchor. Some steel tubesets (like 653) were rather thin for the material in road dimensions, but in fatter MTB tubes were OK.