There was no reason for anything but optimism concerning the Cincinnati program coming out of Saturday night's 31-0 win over 1-AA Eastern Kentucky.

OK, so there were only 18,792 fans at Nippert Stadium and the goal is clearly more than that. That's going to take some time in a pro-oriented town, but a game like this can be a step in the right direction.

It was the first shutout by a Cincy team in 123 games -- dating to a 16-0 win over Virginia Tech on Sept. 16, 1995. It also marked the first time in 79 games EKU had been blanked.

"Just keeping them out of the end zone is a big thing," said Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio. "We can build on those types of things. That's a very special defensive unit."

And it will be put to a much tougher test next week, when the Bearcats host Pittsburgh and talented quarterback Tyler Palko in the conference opener for both teams (Pitt blasted Virginia on Saturday night).

Getting this opener in the books is huge for the Cats, who have to go to No. 1 Ohio State and No. 17 Virginia Tech after facing Pitt -- and also has road games on the slate against No. 5 West Virginia and No. 13 Louisville. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Dantonio used both of his quarterbacks in the win over Eastern Kentucky -- Dustin Grutza playing the first and third quarters (and one play in the fourth) and Nick Davila getting the second and fourth. "It worked out great," said wide receiver Bill Poland. Both of them completed passes and made the right reads and got the job done. If it continues to be like this, more power to both of them. It just makes our offense that much stronger."

Grutza was 9-for-15 for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Davila went 10-for-19 for 121 yards. Total interceptions? Zero.

But this night really belonged to the Cincy defense, which held EKU's three offensive stars in check to pitch the shutout.

GAME BALL GOES TO: Tough one, but we're going with the entire Cincinnati defense. -- These guys recorded the program's first shutout in 123 games, dating back to 1995. Yes, Eastern Kentucky is a 1-AA team -- but the Colonels have offensive firepower and it was absent Saturday night.

KEEP AN EYE ON: This quarterback situation -- Can it work with two? The old saying is, "If you have two No. 1 quarterbacks, you have none." But Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila combined to go a respectable 19-for-34 for 282 yards, a score -- and no picks -- in the opener.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "A shutout is a great thing for us. That shows how much our defense has improved from last year. We would get tired at the end of games, but our backups showed that we do have depth. That's great for building a defense." -- Cincinnati defensive back Haruki Nakamura after his team blanked Eastern Kentucky in the season-opener, 31-0.

LOOKING GOOD: The Cincinnati defense stood out in the 31-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky, the Bearcats' first shutout in 11 years. The Colonels had minus-11 yards of total offense in the first quarter and had gained 60 by halftime before running up some late yards -- the total of 250 the fewest allowed by a Cincy defense since the 2004 Ft. Worth Bowl, when Marshall had just 134. UC had three picks and limited EKU quarterback Josh Greco (last year's Ohio Valley Conference offensive player of the year) to 177 yards.

QBs Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila -- Sharing the loaded, the two-headed QB monster was 19-for-34 for 282 yards, one touchdowns and no interceptions. "We came out and we were making plays, and then in third quarter we put the numbers up," said Grutza, the starter.

TE Brent Celek -- Another big game for this special player, who hauled in six passes for a career-high 81 yards.

WR Dominick Goodman -- Making the move from quarterback, the sophomore caught four passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

DBs Haruki Nakamura, Dominic Ross and DeAngelo Smith -- All three had interceptions in the victory.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio can't be thrilled with 10 penalties for 106 yards. But when that's basically the only thing you can complain about, you've had a good night. "You can't argue with a shutout," said Dantonio.

We still think the QB position might need work -- namely in coming up with a No. 1 -- but that has to be worked out.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

A total of 13 Bearcats played in their first college games in the opener against Eastern Kentucky.