Alacce O'Brien Schofield wasn't even 10 years old when he decided a name change was in order.

"Teachers were butchering it so bad," Schofield said of his first name, pronounced a-LAY-see-a. "I couldn't take it anymore, so I started going by my middle name."

Most people call him O'Brien -- or O.B., for short. But since he never changed his name legally, there are times when he's sitting in class and is forced to cover his face in embarrassment after an instructor calls out -- and butchers, of course -- his given first name. "Sometimes I go up before class starts," Schofield said, "and tell the teachers, 'Just call me O'Brien.'"

Schofield, a junior defensive end for the University of Wisconsin football team, introduced himself to 80,910 fans at Camp Randall Stadium early in the first quarter of the Badgers' 38-17 victory over Akron last Saturday. On the Zips' third play from scrimmage, Schofield came whizzing around right tackle Corey Woods and wrapped his arms around quarterback Chris Jacquemain for his first career sack.

For Schofield, it was another important step in what has been a long process of making a name for himself at UW.

After redshirting in 2005, Schofield played in five games but did not letter the following season. As a sophomore last season, Schofield didn't play a single down on defense but found himself in the starting lineup against Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

Schofield admitted it was difficult to stay patient along the way, especially since several of the players in his recruiting class (2005) had made an impact early in their careers at UW.

"But that was bigger motivation for me, because I saw those guys can do it," Schofield said of teammates like Travis Beckum, P.J. Hill, Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy. "And I knew that putting in the hard work, my time would come along."

Beckum wasn't the only member of that class who came to UW as a linebacker and benefited from a position switch. Schofield started out at linebacker as well before being moved to defensive end.

"Great kid, great motor, but when (he was) playing linebacker, he just didn't ever seem at home," said UW coach Bret Bielema, who noticed Schofield was a "freak athlete" when Schofield attended one of UW's summer camps prior to committing to the Badgers. "I decided to move him to the defensive end position just because I knew he could pass rush and give us some things."

Bielema isn't sure what triggered it, but something clicked within Schofield about three-quarters of the way through last season. His confidence was off the charts by the time he had three tackles and forced a fumble in the Outback Bowl.

"It taught me I could play at the collegiate level," said Schofield, a native of Great Lakes, Ill., which is about 35 miles north of Chicago. "It just showed me that I had something to look forward to and how much harder I had to work to be able to be better."

Schofield took advantage of the extra reps he got last spring, when UW's defensive line was depleted because of injuries, and carried that momentum into preseason camp. A starting spot seemed all but certain until he sprained his right ankle and was told he'd be out one to two weeks.