Here's what happened:

* Most particles went straight through: Rutherford expected alpha particles to be deflected slightly as they passed through the gold foil, due to the positive charge of the gold atoms. However, the majority of particles did indeed go straight through, suggesting the atom was mostly empty space.

* Some particles were deflected at large angles: This was the unexpected result. A small percentage of alpha particles were deflected at large angles, some even bouncing back. This indicated a very concentrated positive charge within the atom.

* It wasn't just protons: While the positive charge was indeed concentrated in the nucleus, at the time of Rutherford's experiment, protons were not yet discovered. Rutherford proposed the existence of a dense, positively charged core, later confirmed to be the nucleus containing protons (and neutrons).

So, while the alpha particles did interact with the positively charged protons in the nucleus, it was not the sole reason for the deflection. The interactions with the nucleus as a whole, containing both protons and neutrons, caused the deflection of the alpha particles.

In summary:

* Rutherford's experiment revealed the existence of a dense, positively charged nucleus within the atom.

* The deflection of alpha particles was due to their interaction with the nucleus as a whole, not just protons.

* The experiment led to the development of the nuclear model of the atom.