COLUMBUS: Ohio State welcomed Chris Wells back to the lineup with a 34-21 victory over Minnesota, and he thanked them with his second 100-yard performance of the season.

Wells missed the past three games with a toe injury, but against Minnesota, he looked as good as he did in the season opener against Youngstown State. He racked up 106 yards on 14 carries Saturday, including one spectacular play during a drive that put the Buckeyes ahead 20-3.

On second-and-10 from the Gophers' 35, he took the ball up the middle and hurdled safety Kyle Theret on his way to a 21-yard gain. The run proved more a move of necessity than design.

''I had on those big ol' cleats — I had on lineman cleats — and I know I really couldn't make a move so the only thing I could do was jump in the air,'' he said.

Wells showed his usual mix of power and speed, and just a bit of rust, taking a few runs to get into gear. He also fumbled the ball at the Buckeyes' 24 to start the team's second drive. That mistake eventually cost the Buckeyes three points.

''I thought he did all right. I wasn't real pleased after the first couple carries, because we had a so-so carry and then a turnover,'' OSU coach Jim Tressel said. ''Give a Big Ten opponent the ball on the 30-yard line — we can't do that. After that, I thought he got warmed up and gained his confidence back.''

Wells offered his own criticism of his play.

''Not too good at all. That fumble was costly. That's something we stress over and over again — no critical turnovers,'' he said. ''At the beginning of the game, I had one trying to fight for extra yardage, and it shouldn't have happened.''

He really didn't have to worry about those three points; the Buckeyes had the game firmly in hand by the time they jogged to the locker room ahead 20-3, primarily because Minnesota had no answer for Wells or quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Wells and Pryor being the focal points of the offense looks good already. They combined for more than 200 yards rushing, with Pryor getting 97 yards on eight carries.

But he had a hand in producing three of the Buckeyes' touchdowns. Two came on the ground — a 33-yard run to his right that showcased his speed. The other came from the 1-yard line and looked effortless on his part.

Not content to settle for running the ball, Pryor struck by air, too, hitting wide receiver Brian Robiskie on a superbly executed fade pass to the end zone with 37 seconds left in the first half.

''It showed that with Beanie coming back and Terrelle doing well, there's going to be a great combination for the next season or so,'' said wide receiver Brian Hartline.

Pryor also looked more comfortable in his second start, exhibiting more confidence than he showed against Troy last week.

''When I came into this game, I was just so comfortable (on the first drive), I was like this drive here, we have to take it down and put it in their throat and make a name for ourselves off of this first drive,'' he said. ''I think my confidence level is up and next week [against Wisconsin], it will be up more.''

Not everything was great for the OSU offense. It opened holes in the running game, but the Gophers' defense pressured Pryor far too many times. In addition, the Buckeyes lacked balance, gaining 279 yards on the ground and just 135 yards in the air.

That's something Pryor said can be corrected.

''The time will come with our passing [game],'' Pryor said. ''Any game, if we want, we can throw the ball for 250-300 yards a game. It was just the coach's game plan and we wanted to get Beanie going a little bit.''

If Pryor can develop into an effective passer to complement his running and that of Wells, that could prove scary.

Happy to be back

It was easy to see that Wells was happy to be back from the way he played and the way he smiled during interviews.

''All week I was telling guys that I felt like a caged animal because I wanted to be out there the past three games, especially that big one we played, but it couldn't happen,'' he said.

More important is his overall health after an injury to the tendons and his big toe.

''There were times when it was hurting pretty bad. It felt better; don't get me wrong, but it's not 100 percent,'' he said.

Nor does he expect to be for the rest of the season. He plans to do what he did last year, when contending with wrist and ankle injuries.

''I think this is a little worse. I think I'm going to have to take the same approach; I'm just going to have to go through it. It's the Big Ten season,'' he said. ''Right now it's an important time for me and the team. I just need to be in there helping those guys.''

Bucknotes

Reserve running back Maurice Wells was not in uniform Saturday. . . . The Buckeyes had seven plays of 20 yards or more. . . . The Buckeyes defense forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) against Minnesota. . . . The defense gave up 268 yards of total offense, just 81 rushing.