Her mom loved the Dawgs. Now she will sign the national anthem in her honor

The 12-year-old girl who will sign the national anthem for deaf viewers will be thinking of a very specific UGA fan while doing so.

Carly Ortega, born deaf and a student at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, will be the sign language interpreter while the Zac Brown Band performs the anthem, accompanied by Atlanta gospel choir David Walker & High Praise.

Carly will be signing the game in honor of her mother, Daniella Osborne-King, a dedicated Bulldog fan who sadly passed away in November after a long battle with cancer.

Osborne-King’s Facebook page shows the family decked out in red and black Bulldog gear, and family and friends remembered her love and passion for the team as they expressed their grief online.

The family even has a bulldog of their own, though he’s an American bulldog, not an English bulldog like Georgia’s storied mascot Uga, according to the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf.

“Daniella was a huge UGA fan and Carly is looking forward to honoring her memory and representing the Deaf community in this very special way,” the school wrote on Facebook.

Carly is all set to perform at the big game Monday night, and she told WSB-TV she’s going to be a bit nervous to perform in front of so many people, but knows she’ll be able to make her mom proud.

“My dad has been helping me practice. He tells me don’t worry about other people, just focus on the song and think about your mom,” Ortega told the station. “Oh, my mom’s always there.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Her mom loved the Dawgs. Now she will sign the national anthem in her honor."