A method and system for identifying a reference signal pattern in contiguous resource blocks received by a user agent (UA) in a wireless communication system where any of one through N contiguous resource blocks may be assigned to a UA, the method performed by a UA and comprising the steps of storing resource block reference signal patterns in a UA memory where the patterns include a separate reference signal pattern for each possible number of contiguous resource blocks that may be assigned to a UA, receiving a resource grant indicating a number contiguous resource block is assigned to the UA, based on the number of contiguous resource blocks assigned to the UA, identifying one of the reference signal patterns in the memory and using the identified one of the reference signal patterns to identify reference signals in contiguously received resource blocks.