Frank Solich was asked point-blank if Ohio’s victory over Temple Friday was the best game his team has played all season, and from his vantage point on the sideline it sure looked like it.

Gone were the plethora of penalties and the lopsided turnover ratio that plagued the Bobcats in the middle of the season as they dictated the entire game, whether by the defense’s vicious blitzes or a methodical running attack.

“It appeared that both sides of the ball were playing very well and very physical,” Solich said of Ohio’s 23-7 win over the Owls. “I can’t think of a game where we played as well as we did on both sides of the ball.”

The Bobcats (5-5, 3-3 Mid-American Conference), who have won back-to-back games and reached the .500 mark for the first time since September, played easily their best defensive game of the season, allowing a season-low in yards gained (209) and points.

From the start, Ohio defenders made themselves comfortable in Temple’s backfield, limiting the Owls to a measly 48 yards rushing. They sacked quarterback Vaughn Charlton four times for 24 yards, who made his first start of the season in place of injured starter Adam DiMichele.

“We were blitzing and holes were opening up. Guys were reading it and we were getting free,” said linebacker Lee Renfro, who had eight total tackles. “We knew with the other quarterback getting hurt, we needed to get some pressure on this guy and to try to make him make some bad throws.”

With the exception of Temple’s lone score, a 42-yard touchdown pass from Charlton to wide receiver Bruce Francis in the second quarter, Ohio succeeded, and smothered the Owls (3-6, 3-3 MAC) more as the game went on.

When Temple, down by 13, attempted a fourth-quarter comeback, the Bobcats answered when Renfro recovered a fumble forced from a sack by linebacker Chris Hall. On the Owls’ final possession, cornerback Thad Turner snagged his first career interception to remove any doubt of an Ohio victory. The Bobcats gave up just 47 yards in the second half.

“They didn’t really come out with anything that we weren’t ready for,” Renfro said. “As the game went along, we saw things that we expected to happen and guys were reacting and making plays.”

The defense’s performance in the first half gave Ohio’s running game a chance to get on track after the Bobcats failed to record a touchdown despite reaching Temple territory on all of their first three drives.

With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, however, tailback Kalvin McRae proved that the Owls’ defense was not impermeable and strung together two consecutive 30-yard runs for his 17th rushing touchdown of the year to give the Bobcats a 10-0 lead.

“We obviously needed to control the ball on these guys, and I think that getting the running game going was crucial because they’ve got a physical football team,” Solich said. The Bobcats finished with more than a seven-minute advantage over Temple in time of possession.

Quarterback Theo Scott looked composed in his second start and went 7-of-12 for 94 yards, but left the game early in the second half with a pulled groin and did not return. Former starter Brad Bower transitioned seamlessly, going 7-of-9 for 91 yards as Ohio chewed up large chunks of time on three more scoring drives.

“As No. 2, you’re one snap away from getting back in,” Bower said. “You’ve got to be ready for anything. I was going to be ready this week, no matter what. I came in and tried to help the team out in any way I could.”