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This tells you all you need to know about O’Brien Schofield’s almost militaristic discipline and work ethic: His father, Anthony, is a senior chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy and he has younger brothers named Admiral and General.

This tells you all you need to know about Schofield’s on-field productivity: He currently leads the Big Ten in quarterback sacks and leads the nation in tackles for losses.

We’ll let Schofield himself tell you about his confidence level: “I don’t like to seem cocky or anything, but when I put my helmet on, I believe that I’m a beast. I believe that I can’t be blocked, I believe that I can’t be stopped, I believe I’m going to make plays.”

The Iowa football team will be the next to try to block the Wisconsin star on Saturday in a nationally televised 11 a.m. game at Camp Randall Stadium, but the Hawkeyes have seen enough video evidence to know that Schofield really has evolved into some sort of “beast.”

“He’s a very active guy with great speed and good instincts,” Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “They run a lot of games with him, twists and things, to free him up.”

Bulaga didn’t have to block Schofield much last season because he lined up on the other side of the field, but he said Wisconsin now moves its master disrupter around so that everyone has a chance to try to slow him down.

“He really stands out on tape,” Bulaga said. “You really notice him. I think he anchors their defense. He’s the big playmaker there.”

At 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds, Schofield gets things done more with quickness and determination than with brute strength. Even at that, he is 16 pounds heavier than he was a year ago.

He has gradually developed into a special player since arriving at Wisconsin from North Chicago (Ill.) High School in 2005. He hardly played as a redshirt freshman and didn’t become a starter until last season. Even then, he didn’t earn any sort of All-Big Ten mention. He made only one tackle in last season’s loss to Iowa.

But he spent the off-season doing extra workouts and studying tape not only of himself but of other defensive ends, especially Aaron Maybin of Penn State, a player of similar stature who had a similar breakout season a year ago.

“It really didn’t just happen,” Wisconsin defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said. “He’s worked tirelessly. I’m really proud of the progress he’s made. He’s earned this.“

In the first six games of this season, Schofield has had only one game in which he didn’t have a sack and a tackle for loss.

Michigan State somehow found a way to block him, but no one else has. He has 6.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for losses. Iowa’s ballyhooed four-man defensive line has combined for 8 sacks and 17.5 TFLs.

“He’s probably playing at as high a level as anybody I’ve been around,” Badgers head coach Bret Bielema said. “He listens to every word the coaches say and he really has a motor.

“I just like what he’s doing,” Bielema added. “Whether you’re coaching him or coaching against him, I think he gets a lot of respect for the way he plays the game.”