Illinois QB Brandon Peters nearly scored on a huge run against Rutgers, but OC Rod Smith says he knew Peters was never going to make it to the end zone.

During his Monday press conference, Smith discussed the win over Rutgers and the upcoming game against Michigan State. He praised the work of Peters, including his execution of the fake option play over the weekend, but he also claimed he knew Peters was going to be tracked down.

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Smith joked that he told the team to get the jumbo packaged prepped when Peters kept looking over his shoulder as he raced down the sideline. He also went on to say that the play was not a bust as the broadcasters described. Smith felt Peters executed it to perfection and picked up the big gain as a result.

Isaac Trotter with the Illini Inquirer shared the transcription of Smith’s press conference comments:

“No, I knew he was going to get caught right there. I told them to get the jumbo package ready. He was looking back like five times. I told him, ‘Just dive from the 5-yard line and you’ll score. Quit looking back.’ He gave me whiplash watching him. He was good. I was proud of him. We are talking earlier, abut how the announcers on the TV thought it was a broken play. It wasn’t a broken play. It was a delayed option. It was something we drew up at halftime. He did a great job of faking the pitch and keeping it. That’s what I was surprised about. I wasn’t surprised that he got caught.”

Here’s a look at that play:

Now, Peters and the Illinois offense will take on a strong Michigan State defense this weekend. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 3:30 pm EST on FS1.