Giants Have It Under Control : Game: They hold the ball for 40:33, then sweat out a 47-yard field-goal miss by Buffalo’s Norwood with eight seconds to play. Ottis Anderson is named MVP.

The New York Giants left the Buffalo Bills no time for the no-huddle.

Controlling the ball on touchdown drives at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, the Giants won their second Super Bowl by beating the Bills, 20-19, when Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard filed goal with eight seconds left.

The winning points in the closest Super Bowl in history came on Matt Bahr’s 21-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the game.

But the game was really won by New York’s ball-control offense, which moved the ball 87 yards to a touchdown just before the half to cut a 12-3 deficit to 12-10, then held the ball for nearly 10 minutes to start the second half to take a 17-12 lead.

The Giants had the ball for 40:33, leaving the Buffalo offense on the field for only 19:27.

One hero of a game in which the lead changed hands four times was 33-year Ottis Anderson, who picked the most important game of his career to notch his first 100-yard game this season--21 carries for 102 yards. He went in from the one for a touchdown to cap the third-quarter drive and was named the most valuable player.

Another was Jeff Hostetler, the backup quarterback who directed the New York offense almost impeccably, running his career record to 7-0 as a starter. He completed 20 of 32 for 222 yards and had a 14-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Baker.

In fact, seven was the number of the day--it was the seventh consecutive victory by the NFC in the Super Bowl. It was also the most exciting--only San Francisco’s 20-16 victory over Cincinnati two years ago was close.

It was also a victory for the New York defense against an offense that had scored 95 points in two playoff games. Challenging the Bills to run, the Giants went most of the game with six defensive backs and two down linemen, blanketing wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton.

The Giants held the Bills without a first down on Buffalo’s opening possession, just the fourth time in the past 13 games the Bills had been held without a touchdown on their first possession.

Then the Giants did just what they aimed to do--control the ball. They drove 58 yards in 11 plays and ran 6:15 off the clock to set up Bahr’s 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Buffalo tied it 1:23 later on Norwood’s 23-yard field goal. The score was set up by a 61-yard pass from Jim Kelly to Lofton, who caught the ball after it was tipped into the air by Perry Williams.

That put the ball at the eight, but the Bills stalled at the five before settling for Norwood’s kick.

The Bills then gave the Giants a dose of their own ball-control style, going 80 yards in 12 plays to score the game’s first touchdown on Don Smith’s one-yard run 2:30 into the quarter. Reed caught four passes for 44 yards in the drive as Kelly abandoned the shotgun formation.

The Buffalo defense held the Giants without a first down for two straight series.

After the Bills punted from midfield, the Giants took over at their own six. A holding penalty on center Bart Oates negated a first down at the 17, setting up a second and 10 at the the six.

As Hostetler dropped back to pass, he stumbled over Anderson’s foot and was sacked by Bruce Smith in the end zone for a safety that made it 12-3.

But after going just about a full quarter without a first down, the Giants suddenly struck.

Taking over with 3:49 left in the half at its own 13, New York went 87 yards in 10 plays and scored on Hostetler’s 14-yard pass to Baker with 25 seconds left in the half. The drive featured a 17-yard run by Dave Meggett, an 18-yard run by Anderson and a 22-yard pass to Mark Ingram before Hostetler found Baker a step ahead of Nate Odomes in the left corner to narrow the margin to 12-10 at the half.

The Giants started the second half with another ball-control drive, using 9:29 and 14 plays to march 75 yards for a touchdown on Anderson’s one-yard run. It took more time than any drive in Super Bowl history.

The key play was a third-and-13 from the Buffalo 32. Hostetler hit Ingram eight yards downfield and the 188-pound receiver broke four tackles and dove for the first down.

On their next series, the Giants reached the Buffalo 35, where they had a fourth and two. But Smith stuffed Anderson for a one-yard loss and the momentum swung once again.

Three plays later, Thurman Thomas ran off tackle, broke a tackle by Gary Reasons and another by Myron Guyton and raced around the right side for a 31-yard touchdown that put the Bills in front, 19-17.

The Giants came back with another time-consuming drive, using up 7:32 as they went from their own 23 to the Buffalo three. But Jeff Wright made a big stop on Anderson and the Giants had to settle for Bahr’s 21-yard field goal that gave them a 20-19 lead with 7:20 left.

Anderson is 33 with 12 years in the league. His age and his salary make him the perfect Plan B player and he was there for the grabbing each of the last two years.

Nobody grabbed and each time New York Coach Bill Parcells welcomed him back. Each time, it paid off.

A year ago, Anderson rushed for more than 1,000 yards. This season he went over 10,000 yards for his career.

And on Sunday, he rushed for a Super Bowl championship.

Anderson came to New York in 1986 and was a small part of the Giants’ Super Bowl championship that year. The next season he was virtually unused, carrying just twice all season.

It was like a year off and a respite for his weary legs that had produced five 1,000-yard seasons in six years with St. Louis. He was an extra back in 1988, gaining just 208 yards all year.

Now he was fresh for a 1,000-yard year in 1989, another 784 this season.

It’s entirely likely he could be on the Plan B list again when the they are announced next week.

This time, though, somebody might claim him. It’s tough to ignore the Super Bowl MVP.