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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Last week, Bill Parcells was asked if he would consider changing his running back rotation between Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

"Not really," Parcells said. "I like it the way it is."

As superstitious as he is, the Cowboys coach does not want to mess up what has been a good thing.

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On Sunday, Julius Jones got the start again, finishing with 24 yards on 11 carries. Barber had 76 yards on 12 carries, but more importantly, he scored two more touchdowns, giving him 13 this season.

It was the third time in the last four games Barber finished with more yards than Jones, and it's Barber's work near the goal line that separates him from a lot of runners.

With 11 touchdowns on the ground, Barber became the fourth running back in team history to have at least 10 rushing touchdowns in a season and the first since Emmitt Smith had 11 in 1999. Barber leads the NFC in rushing touchdowns and is third in the NFL behind San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson (23) and Kansas City's Larry Johnson (13).

The last time the Giants allowed a running back to score twice on the ground was when Johnson did it on Dec. 17, 2005.

Barber gave the Cowboys a 20-13 lead with 3:33 to play with a shifty 7-yard jaunt, but the Giants rallied for a tying score with 1:06 to play. In the first quarter, Barber bulled in for a 1-yard touchdown run.

"That's what he's been doing all year," receiver Terrell Owens said. "When he gets in the red zone, obviously he's hard to stop. He's like No. 27 [Brandon Jacobs] on the other side of the ball. Once he gets that ball, he puts his head down, and he can move people."

E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com