COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Whether Cardale Jones did enough to retain the starting quarterback position will be debated over the next few days, but he did enough to keep Ohio State undefeated.

Jones passed for 187 yards and a touchdown and ran for an insurance score from 38 yards as the No. 3 Buckeyes held off a late Minnesota charge for a 28-14 win on Saturday night.

Jones regained the starting he held the first seven games before J.T. Barrett, who started the previous game on Oct. 24 against Rutgers, was suspended by coach Urban Meyer after being cited for driving while impaired. Barrett will be eligible to play Nov. 14 at Illinois.

Jones was 12-of-22 passing and added 65 yards on the ground.

"I wasn't making my case," he said. "I was doing what I had to do to help the team."

Running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for a score in the first half for the Buckeyes and had his 14th straight game or 100 or more rushing yards with 114. The defense also chipped in with a score.

"I give a lot of credit to the defense," Elliott said. "They stepped up and put points on the board. They did a great job shutting down their offense while we really didn't have much momentum."

Ohio State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) has won 22 straight overall and 29 consecutive regular-season Big Ten games -- the latter accomplishment ties the conference record set by the Florida State teams in the ACC from 1992 to 1995.

But it wasn't easy. With Minnesota down 21-7, quarterback Mitch Leidner passed 57 yards to KJ Maye, then hit Rashad Still for a 10-yard score with 2:10 left in the game to make it 21-14.

Minnesota (4-5, 1-4) was unable to convert the ensuing onside kick and Jones, on a third-down play, ran up the middle untouched for the final score.

"It was good to see us battle back in the second half, especially when things weren't exactly going our way offensively," Leidner said. "I give our defense credit for giving us the opportunity to get back on the field and get a few drives together."

Unfortunately for Minnesota, the hole was too big to overcome.

Jones hit Michael Thomas for 6-yard score and a 21-0 lead with 6:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Minnesota cut the deficit to 21-7 when Leidner threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Maye with 10:25 left in the game.

Leidner was 27 of 44 for 281 yards and an interception. KJ Maye was the main target. He had 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio State scored all its points late in the second quarter for a 14-0 halftime lead after neither team shone offensively.

"We just made one or two mistakes that we didn't counter with our own big plays in the first half," said Minnesota interim coach Tracy Claeys, who was in charge for his second game after Jerry Kill retired Oct. 28 for health reasons.

The Buckeyes first got on the board with 4:53 left in the first half on a weird play that dramatically swung emotions.

Ohio State safety Vonn Bell returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown, but linebacker Joshua Perry was flagged for targeting Leidner when he nailed him at the Minnesota 3, apparently negating the score.

But after a quick review, Perry was not only allowed to stay in the game, but the call was reversed and the touchdown stood.

"It was a high hit," Perry said. "We don't teach that, so it's on me. I extended my arms, though, so it wasn't all head. That's what saved me there."

Bell was equally relieved his play counted.

"I just wanted to be a spark and make plays for the team," he said.

On Ohio State's next possession, Jones drove the Buckeyes 77 yards in seven plays, capped by Elliott's 15-yard run with 59 seconds remaining. The key plays were Jones running 19 yards from his own 15 on a third-and-18 and his 44-yard pass to Jalin Marshall.

NOTES: Minnesota is the only team to play Ohio State and No. 8 TCU this season. The Gophers lost 23-17 to the Horned Frogs in the season opener. ... The kickoff temperature was 45 degrees, 30 degrees warmer than the game last season in Minneapolis when it also snowed. ... Ohio State is the third team from Ohio that Minnesota has played this season. The Golden Gophers beat Kent State 10-7 and Ohio 27-24. ... This was Minnesota's first game in Columbus since a 38-7 loss in 2009.