Cowboys Get Giant Lift From Late Kick : Pro football: Boniol’s fifth field goal as time runs out gives Dallas a 21-20 victory.

The New York Giants shoved the Dallas Cowboys all over Texas Stadium Sunday. They limited the erstwhile Super Bowl shoo-ins to one touchdown and even outstrutted Deion Sanders.

Still, they left angry and bitter. Their best effort of the season, physically and emotionally, was wasted in a 21-20 loss.

Chris Boniol’s fifth field goal, from 35 yards on the final play, provided the Cowboys (11-4) their desperately needed but hardly impressive victory.

The Giants (5-10) outrushed Dallas, 244-110, with Rodney Hampton gaining a career-high 187 yards on 34 carries. But the Giants were called for pass interference four times and defensive holding once, resulting in 83 yards and a major contribution to nine of the Cowboys’ points.

“When you play your hearts out and the officials make bad calls like that, it’s terrible,” said safety Vencie Glenn, whose 39-yard penalty while covering Michael Irvin set up Dallas’ fourth-quarter touchdown.

“Every time they throw downfield, it’s pass interference. Michael Irvin is the biggest pusher and shover in the league and everybody knows it, but he gets away with it because he’s Michael Irvin.”

Glenn’s comments were the strongest but not the only ref-bashing remarks in the locker room.

“How much does it cost to buy officials?” tight end Howard Cross said.

“[The Cowboys] are a bunch of whiners,” linebacker Michael Brooks said. “They complain to the officials and [the officials] listen.”

Said Coach Dan Reeves: “All I know is, we’d have a chance to be sitting here with 11 wins if we got calls like that.”

Still, the Giants had victory in their reach in a season in which six losses have come by four points or fewer. With three minutes 31 seconds left and the Cowboys forced to take two of their three timeouts on defense, the Giants could have run out the clock with one first down. But Hampton was held to five yards on two carries and Dave Brown’s third-down pass was dropped by fullback Charles Way. So the Cowboys, after a punt, got the ball at their 25-yard line with two minutes 59 seconds left.

Then Troy Aikman (16 for 34, 222 yards) completed six of 11 passes for 54 yards, converting twice on third-and-10 and once on third-and-seven. Kevin Williams’ diving reception at the Giants 27 put the Cowboys within Boniol’s range.

The Cowboys ended a two-game losing streak and stayed a game ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East. They can regain the lead for home field in the playoffs if the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Minnesota Vikings tonight.

“Had it all the way,” Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer said. “When it came down to it, we got a win we had to get. Maybe this will turn us around.”

After an interception by Brock Marion on the Giants’ first offensive play, Dallas drove 42 yards in nine plays and scored on Boniol’s 27-yard field goal.

The Giants took the lead on Tyrone Wheatley’s one-yard run, capping a seven-play, 52-yard drive.

Irvin (five receptions, 90 yards) reciprocated with a 40-yard catch and jiggly celebration, setting up a 32-yard Boniol kick. The Giants took a 14-6 lead with a 15-play, 73-yard drive. Brown (10 of 20 for 111 yards, five carries for 47 yards) scored on a five-yard run with 14 seconds left in the half.

Early in the third quarter, Thomas Randolph was called for interference against Sanders, costing 34 yards and positioning Boniol for a 23-yard field goal. With 4:43 left in the third, Boniol kicked a season-best 45-yarder to make it 14-12.

Hampton ran the Giants into position for a 20-yard Daluiso kick seven seconds into the fourth.

Then came the 39-yard call against Glenn, who was moving over to help with coverage on Irvin, and the Cowboys scored on a five-yard run by Emmitt Smith (24 carries, 103 yards). It was Smith’s 24th touchdown, tying the NFL season record set by Washington’s John Riggins in 1983. Aikman’s conversion pass failed, and Dallas led, 18-17.

On the Giants’ next possession, Wheatley scored from the four, but Way was called for holding.

“That was a big-time call when you take a touchdown away from somebody,” Reeves said.

The Giants settled for a 27-yard field goal by Daluiso and a 20-18 lead with 5:17 left.

Irvin was called for offensive interference on the next series. “They made a makeup call,” Glenn said, “but it doesn’t make up for the 30- and 40-yard calls against us.”